KABATAAN Party-list Rep. Renee Co, with Gabriela Rep. Sarah Jane Elago and ACT Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio, has filed House Resolution 1565, calling for an inquiry into the sudden stoppage of the mandatory online posting of Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) Registration Seal Badges by online sellers. ”Suddenly reversing course? The BIR implemented this policy without prior consultation or proper consideration for every Filipino engaged in online work. It is even more concerning that, after more than 50,000 registrations, the BIR suddenly withdrew it,” Co said. The BIR suspended the requirement on Oct. 26, days before the Oct. 31 compliance deadline, citing concerns over data privacy and technical difficulties. The badge was introduced as an alternative to posting the full BIR Certificate of Registration on websites, online stores and social media business pages. The requirement drew flak because of the risk of personal information being accessed through its QR code. This has prompted the National Privacy Commission to ask the BIR to explain its handling of personal data. ”A reversal is not enough; there must still be an investigation,” Co said.
The Manila Times
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