Palace welcomes filing of tax evasion case vs Rappler

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / JOAN BONDOC

Malacañang welcomed on Thursday the Bureau of Internal Revenue’s (BIR) filing of tax evasion complaint against news website Rappler.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said that the latest complaint against Rappler was a mere “implementation of the law.”

“Well, ano pong reaksiyon natin diyan kung hindi ang batas pinapatupad,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a press briefing.

(What is our reaction on that is that the law is just merely being implemented.)

“Kung mayroon talagang hindi nabayarang buwis dapat managot at kung ako naman ay nakatanggap siguro ng ganoong kalaking halaga na 1.5 million dollars, ako mismo magbabayad na ako ng buwis,” he added.

(If there really are unpaid taxes someone should be held accountable and if I received that huge amount of $1.5 million, I would certainly pay taxes.)

The BIR on Thursday morning filed a P133.8-million tax evasion complaint against Rappler for the Philippine depositary receipts (PDR) it issued to its two foreign investors, Omidyar Network and North Base Media worth P181.6 million.

READ: BIR files tax evasion complaint vs Rappler before DOJ

The complaint stemmed from the order of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to revoke the news company’s incorporation records for allegedly violating the restriction on foreign ownership of local media, the anti-dummy law, the corporation code, and the Securities Regulation Code.

The body pointed out that Rappler’s PDR issued to one of its foreign investors, Omidyar Network, requires the news company to seek the investor’s approval on corporate matters.

Rappler CEO Maria Ressa said the complaint is “ludicrous,” and even urged the BIR to “check its own records.”

“This is clear intimidation and harassment. The government is wasting its energy and resources in an attempt to silence reporting that do not please the administration,” Ressa said in a statement. /jpv