The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) is poised to undertake major personnel changes early next month that would affect officials holding positions from regional directors down to revenue district officers, division chiefs, and assistant revenue district officers.

BIR Commissioner Sixto Esquivias IV said on Monday the revamp will be based purely on the performance of the affected officials during the past several months and not on the lobbying of powerful and influential individuals in and out of government service.

Esquivias earlier came out with the so-called Key Performance Indicator (KPI) to grade the performance of tax collectors covering every aspect of their jobs, including collection growth, collection from enforcement, number of businesses closed under the Oplan Kandado and taxpayers satisfaction under the Handang Mag- lingkod project.

Esquivias said performers will either be retained or rewarded with promotion and transfer to important posts and those who failed to meet the KPI standard will be transferred to insignificant posts.

He added that the management together with private groups including the Tax Management Association of the Philippines, Integrated Bar of the Philippines and Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry will be involved in the selection process.

He said there will be no "palakasan" of field officials seeking transfer to sensitive assignments and the reshuffle will be carried without fear or favor.

Esquivias said he will also ask the influential "godfathers" of these revenue officials not to intervene and that "if worse comes to worst he will present to them detailed performance reports on why their proteges in the bureau got failing grades.”

Meanwhile, Esquivias has rejected the request of a former director of the National Telecommunication Commission (NTC) to be named director of the Quezon City revenue region, replacing accountant-lawyer Antonio Montemayor who is one of the two directors of the BIR that successfully exceeded their collection targets for the first eight months of the year.

BIR insiders described the request as "most unusual and irregular" considering that the post for regional director is exclusively reserved only for career field officials who have acquired expertise in taxation after serving the bureau for at least 20 years.

Rank and file employees lauded the management decision in rejecting the highly controversial request.

"Ano siya sinuswerte? Eh wala naman siyang alam tungkol sa taxation. Ang hirap nga ma-promote ang isang career official, tapos siya bigla na lamang susulpot," complained by a 30-year revenue district veteran.