(Bureau of Internal Revenue Logo)
MANILA, Feb 28 (Mabuhay) — The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) charged a Laguna-based trading company with willful failure to pay due taxes amounting to P4.49 million.
Charged before the Dept. of Justice (DOJ) was Jera Marketing, Inc. (JMI) and its president, Ester R. Almendrala, for alleged violations of Sec. 255 in relation to Sec. 253 of the National Internal Revenue Code.
BIR Commissioner Kim Henares bared that JMI was issued a Letter of Authority (LOA) for the examination of its books of accounts and other accounting records for taxable year 2006. However, JMI reportedly failed to submit these documents.
The BIR then issued a subpoena duces tecum, Preliminary Assessment Notice, and a Formal Letter of Demand pointing out the firm’s tax liabilities but, again, JMI allegedly failed to settle the same.
The case against JMI is the 152nd filed by the bureau under its Run After Tax Evaders (RATE) program under the Aquino administration.
Meanwhile, a separate complaint was filed by the BIR against the owner of a casting firm for a total tax liability amounting to P6.61 million.
Angelica Bonnevie Mara was charged for “willful failure to evade or defeat tax and for deliberate failure to supply correct and accurate information in her income tax return (ITR) for taxable year 2009.”
Mara owns Model Shop Casting Studio with business address in Makati City.
BIR Commissioner Kim Henares said a preliminary investigation was conducted on Mara’s alleged tax evasion scheme. In the course of the probe, the BIR were able to secure certifications of income payments from her clients which were subsequently compared with her lost of payors extracted from BIR’s database.
Henares said the documents showed that Mara received income payments in 2009 amounting to P6.371 million from Ajinomoto Philippines Corp., Avon Cosmetics, Inc., Bayan Telecommunications, Inc., BBDO Guerrero, Inc., Campaigns and Grey, Inc., Colgate-Palmolive Phils., Draft FCB Philippines, Inc., GMA Network, Inc., Golden Arches Devt Corp., Pediatrica, SM Mart, Inc., SM Devt Corp., Tupperware Brands Phil, Inc., United Laboratories, Inc., Universal Robina Corp., and Westmont Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Based on the comparison made by the BIR on the documents, Mara allegedly underdeclared her taxable income by 81% or by P2.86 million.
The complaint is the 153rd filed by the BIR under its RATE program under the Aquino administration. (MNS)