Manila, Jan. 22 -- A proposed measure seeking to raise rewards for informants is expected to bolster enforcement efforts of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and the Bureau of Customs (BOC) by encouraging the public to report large-scale tax evasion and smuggling cases, Sen. Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada said Thursday.

Estrada, who filed Senate Bill No. 1011, said the current informer's reward system has become ineffective due to low caps that no longer match the scale of major revenue violations.

"Our fight against tax evasion and smuggling depends heavily on information from the public. But people won't come forward if the law itself limits their protection and their reward," Estrada said.

Under the proposed measure, informants who hel...