BIR goes after phone card trader for P538M in taxes
Bureau of Internal Revenue Commissioner Kim Jacinto-Henares. FILE PHOTO
The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) on Thursday filed a criminal complaint with the justice department against a businessman for allegedly evading payment of some P537.6 million in income taxes in 2007 and 2008.
The case against Severino Robles, owner of S. Robles Merchandising, was facilitated by the information provided to the BIR by Smart Communications and its sister firm, the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT), BIR commissioner Kim Henares told a press briefing Thursday.
Robles, who is engaged in the business of selling SIM cards, electronic load and prepaid cell phone cards, reportedly bought P496.59-million worth of products from Smart and PLDT in 2007 and 2008.
“Records of the BIR showed, however, that Robles failed to declare the purchase since the last income tax return he filed in 2004,” Henares said.
According to the BIR’s computation, Robles evaded payment of income taxes of P366.96 million in 2007 and P181.20 million in 2008, she said.
“For his willful failure to file his tax returns despite substantial purchases, Robles defrauded and deprived the government of taxes in the aggregate amount of P537.58 million, inclusive of surcharges and interests,” the BIR chief said.
In a separate complaint, the BIR filed a tax evasion case against a Cebu City-based fruit and vegetable dealer, Araceli Duhaylungsod, for allegedly nonpayment of P5.6 million in income taxes in 2005. Marlon Ramos
