Town mayor’s hubby faces tax raps

THE Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) filed tax evasion charges yesterday against businessman Nilo Alegado, husband of Consolacion Municipal Mayor Teresa Alegado.

The BIR said that Alegado failed to provide the correct information in his internal tax return or ITR for 2009, declaring only P4.33-million worth of sales while he actually earned P183.94 million.

“[The] total percentage of under-declaration of sales per investigation is 4,143.34 percent,” the BIR said in its statement.

Mayor Alegado denied allegations that her husband Nilo failed to pay the correct income tax for 2009.

“We are religiously paying our taxes” she said in a phone interview.

According to the BIR, Nilo Alegado is the sole proprietor of a duly registered business engaged in the renting of real properties and rice dealing, operating under the name “New Store.” His business is located at the Consolacion Public Market in the poblacion.

The BIR said Alegado made rice importations in 2009 worth P183.01 million based on records of the National Food Authority.

“A comparison of the same amount with the declaration of Alegado in his ITR and Audited Financial Statements for the same year filed with the BIR revealed purchases of just P3.41 million, a huge discrepancy in the total amount of P179.60 million which is tantamount to under-declared sales per investigation,” the BIR said.

Alegado’s tax deficiency amounted to P102.94 million, inclusive of surcharges and interests, the BIR said.

Mayor Alegado lamented that the case was followed by the media because the person involved was the husband of a mayor.

“Please respect our privacy,” said Mayor Alegado who was in Boracay with her husband yesterday to attend a wedding. They were expected to return to Cebu today.

“First of all, I’m a public official and I know there’s somebody who’s behind this. And my husband is sick and not used to this. Please respect our privacy. And we’ll just let our lawyer answer the charges filed if there’s any,” she said.

Mayor Alegado said that in the 30 years they have been doing business, this was the first time that they were accused of tax evasion.

“They have left the smugglers alone while singling us out although we have done nothing wrong,” she said.

Mayor Alegado was the National Executive President of the Confederation of Grains Retailers Association of the Philippines, Inc. (Grecon) before she was elected mayor of Consolacion town in 2010.

She ran under the Liberal Party and has used the slogan “genuine change, honest, credible and sincere service to the people” in her campaign.  Correspondent Jhunnex Napallacan with a report from Correspondent Carine M. Asutilla and Inquirer