Bureau of Internal Revenue
The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) on Thursday filed tax evasion charges involving P6.1 billion against 214 officers of 127 corporations involved in manufacturing, retail, importations and construction.
鈥淭hese are various companies facing complaints and their corporate officers face the possibility of imprisonment. This is apart from the civil liabilities, the tax liabilities that they failed to pay,鈥� Internal Revenue Commissioner Romeo Lumagui Jr. said in connection with the filings at the Department of Justice (DOJ).
Second RATE action
He added that following due process, the respondents were given the opportunity to answer and present documents on how much taxes they should pay.
It was the second nationwide legal action taken by the BIR under its Run After Tax Evaders (RATE) program, the agency said in a statement.
In February, it filed 74 criminal cases over tax dues amounting to P3.58 billion, also at the DOJ.
Lumagui said the bureau found out that some of the corporations did not remit withholding taxes, or the money deducted by the employer from their employees鈥� salaries, to the BIR.
Heed notices
鈥淭he withholding taxes were taken or deducted by companies from their employees鈥� they are obligated as withholding agents to give these to the BIR,鈥� he said.
Lumagui appealed to companies and business owners to pay the right taxes and avoid using 鈥済host receipts.鈥�
He also urged them to heed notices from the BIR, mainly letters of authority from the agency that are sent whenever it sees red flags in how the companies report their revenues or expenses.
鈥淚f you received a letter from the BIR, don鈥檛 ignore it because our process, assessment will continue and this might lead to the filing of cases,鈥� Lumagui stressed. 鈥淪ome companies ignore our notices even though they received them because they think our audit processes will lead to nowhere.鈥�
The BIR urged taxpayers to view these letters as opportunities to present their side and be afforded due process.