BIR has no choice but to probe into Corona’s tax payments

BIR Commissioner Kim Henares. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Revenue Commissioner Kim Henares would be derelict in her duty if she failed to investigate whether former Chief Justice Renato Corona paid taxes on the assets he admitted having at his impeachment trial by the Senate, Malacañang said Saturday.

President Benigno Aquino’s chief spokesperson, Edwin Lacierda, made the statement after some senators called on the administration to stop pursuing tax charges against the former magistrate, who was found guilty by the Senate of culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust for not disclosing the bulk of his assets in his statements of assets, liabilities and net worth as mandated by law.

“The problem is, if Mrs. Henares doesn’t act, she would be accused of dereliction of duty or it could be said that she has a set of laws for the rich and another for the poor,” Lacierda said over state-run radio station dzRB. “It’s up to Kim Henares because she knows her duty.”

The Senate President has already given the clearance for the release to the BIR of the waiver that Corona signed lifting the confidentiality of his bank deposits.

Lacierda was taking the cue from President Aquino, who indicated on Friday that he did not relish seeing Corona exempted from possible prosecution just because he was removed from office by impeachment.

Aquino said that the law should be applied equally to the common folk and the high and mighty. Allowing Corona to dodge prosecution would violate that democratic principle, he said.

“Someone told me… to just forget about it. If that would be so, we’d just return [to the old system],” the President  told reporters when asked about lawmakers’ suggestion  that the government should consider not pursuing further charges against Corona .

“Even Delsa Flores said that she was punished. What [she] committed was relatively small. Is it right to just forget about the bigger violation?” he added.

Delsa Flores was the court interpreter who was dismissed from the service after she failed to declare a market stall in her statement of assets, liabilities and net worth.