ARTA Pushes for Single Business ID to Expedite Permits

THE Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) said it is working on the establishment of a single business identifier to be used across government transactions to help streamline business permitting. In a statement on Wednesday, ARTA said this aligns with the Department of Economy, Planning and Development’s (DEPDev) recommendation to institutionalize the Unique Business Identification Number (UBIN). “The initiative seeks to facilitate more efficient information exchange and verification among government agencies and local government units, reduce repetitive submissions, and support integration of business-related government systems,” the agency said. These came in response to the DEPDev’s policy note, “Streamlining Business Registration, Renewal, and Exit Processes in the Philippines.” Several recommendations being pursued by the ARTA are the institutionalization of the UBIN; stronger interoperability among government systems; and the integration of national and local business permitting platforms, it said. ARTA noted that these reforms are aligned with its ongoing efforts to address the fragmentation of government systems and processes, as well as the repetitive submission and validation of business information across government. “Ultimately, these efforts seek to minimize repeated submission of the same business information and enable government agencies, where legally and technically permissible, to securely reuse and verify information already available within government,” ARTA said. — Beatriz Marie D. Cruz