BIR goes after Bulacan doctor

Bureau of Internal Revenue Commissioner Kim Jacinto-Henares. File photo

For allegedly failing to issue a receipt for a P350 consultation fee, a physician could face up to four years in prison after the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) charged her with tax evasion before the Department of Justice (DOJ) Thursday.

Revenue Commissioner Kim Henares said the case against Dr. Cynthia Theresa Rimando of San Jose del Monte, Bulacan, was the 100th tax evasion case the BIR’s Run After The Tax Evaders (Rate) program had filed since the Aquino administration came to office in July 2010.

“Based on initial investigation, Rimando was conducting her medical practice without issuing official receipts,” Henares said in a news briefing at the DOJ.

Aside from Rimando, three other individuals were charged with tax evasion for their “willful attempt” to avoid payment of over P69 million in withholding and income taxes.

Used other receipts

Henares said tax investigators found that when she did issue receipts, Rimando, who has a clinic at the Balagtas Doctors Hospital in Balagtas, Bulacan, used those registered to the business of her husband, Edward Joseph Rimando, who owns Cynhan Enterprises in Marikina City.

Henares said that when investigators monitored Rimando’s clinic from September 26 to October 25 last year, it learned the doctor did not issue a receipt to an Emily Ann Guansing who had brought her 6-year-old son in for a checkup.

“Guansing executed an affidavit to attest to the truthfulness and veracity of her statement and to support the prosecution of Rimando,” Henares said.

The BIR also charged Humberto Solis, Elma Versoza and Cecilia Mumar, the register of deeds of Dagupan City, with falsifying a Certificate Authorizing Registration in the sale of a 1,282-hectare property in Dagupan.

Henares said Solis sold the commercial lot to Verzosa, but they supposedly presented bogus documents to make it appear that the property was classified as agricultural.

With Mumar’s alleged connivance, the two evaded payment of P51.5 million in income, withholding, documentary stamp and value-added taxes.

“That wouldn’t have happened had Mumar not effected the registration of the document that transferred the property,” Henares said.

Others charged

The BIR also filed a criminal case against Charlie Chan and Irene Chan, president and treasurer, respectively, of Yearfull Fashion Enterprises Inc. for their alleged failure to pay P10.93 million in income tax for 2010.

The agency said Yearfull was a major supplier of garment products to the SM malls.

Likewise, the BIR charged Retituto Raflores and Teresita de Gracia of Southserv Logistics Corp. with allegedly failing to pay P6.6 million in income tax for 2010.