Anti-red tape & the ease of doing business

Ease of Doing Business (EODB) has been defined as “the level of simplicity and efficiency with which businesses can operate within an economy.

- ATTY. MIKE TOLEDO

The author The Manila Hotel president and former senator Joey Lina Jr. The author with Atty. Connie Chiu of Aboitiz Group and ARTA director general, Secretary Ernesto V. Perez

” It encompasses various aspects, including the economic landscape, finance and legal framework.In the Philippines, we have Republic Act No. 11032 (RA11032), otherwise known as the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018, which amends Republic Act No. 9485 (RA9485) or the “Anti-Red Tape Act of 2007.”

Where, previously, anti-red tape dealt more with streamlining the bureaucracy and making it more efficient, EODB was seen to be more encompassing, more inclusive of not just the public sector but the private sector as well.

The World Bank itself has established the EODB Index where “higher rankings” (a lower numerical value) indicate better, usually simpler, regulations for businesses and stronger protections of property rights. A ranking of “1” means that a country is the most business-friendly, which was New Zealand in 2023.

Back in 2023, the Philippines was ranked 95 out of 190 economies in the ease of doing business index by the World Bank.

The Philippines’ overall score was 78.8 out of 100, which is higher than the regional average of 71.9 and above the global average.