The more than 13,000 officials and employees of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) welcomed over the weekend the appointment of a tax expert as senior deputy commissioner of the agency, describing it as timely in light of the plummeting collection record.

They said the appointment of Joel Tan-Torres as the number two man in the BIR has come at the most opportune time when the agency is hard pressed in meeting its monthly collection goal due mainly to the global financial crisis.

"We expect Tan-Torres to share his talent in improving the tax collection and administration programs to boost our efforts in meeting the agency's more than P798 billion collection target for the year," one revenue district officer said.

Tan-Torres finished his business administration and accountancy at the University of the Philippines in 1979, topping the Certified Public Accountant test the same year. He also has masteral and doctorate degrees in public administration and taxation from the UP and Harvard University

Tan-Torres has returned to the BIR after 16 years of employment, reaching the rank of assistant commissioner for management and planning before he resigned in 1996 to join the audit firm SGV as senior partner.

In Executive Order 827, Tan-Torres is tasked to assist the BIR commissioner in running the affairs of the BIR. Specifically, the President instructed him to provide support to the revenue commissioner in administering the operations of the BIR and directing all its officers and employees.