BIR’s Henares: Pia Wurtzbach has to pay taxes unless exemption law is passed

Miss Universe Pia Wurtzbach. AP FILE PHOTO

Unless a law is passed, the Queen still has to pay her taxes after all.

Miss Universe 2015 Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach is still not exempted from paying her taxes in the Philippines unless she gets the approval of both the House of Representatives and the Senate, said Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) Commissioner Kim Henares.

READ: Miss Universe Pia Wurtzbach to pay taxes

“If you want to exempt somebody, you have to pass a law, and a law requires the vote of the House and the Senate. And if you read the Constitution, a law exempting anyone requires three-fourths vote of both the House and the Senate,” Henares said at a presser Thursday morning.

READ: Solon seeks tax exemption for Pia

Last week, the House approved in a committee level House Bill 6367, which exempts the Filipino beauty queen from paying taxes.  Another bill is pending before the Senate.

In any case, said Henares, Wurtzbach would only be paying a small amount to the country, as bulk of her taxes will go to the United States, where she is currently sourcing her income, said Henares.

READ: House approves bill exempting Pia Wurtzbach from taxes

“If you look at it, Pia will probably pay the bulk of her income tax to the United States. If there will be any tax payment in the Philippines, it will probably be just 1 or 2 percent, or not even,” said Henares.

She said the beauty queen only needs to declare her tax payment in the US upon filing her income tax return in the Philippines.

“She just has to declare her income overseas along with her income here, because most probably she will have an income here,” said Henares.

“Pero kailangan, hindi ‘yan sulat sa hangin (But it should have evidence). You should have proof—papers, documents—that show that you declared this and paid this tax overseas in a certified true copy that was consularized,” she said.

Jokes about Henares running after Wurtzbach were rife in social media after her Miss Universe win, given the BIR chief’s known record of demanding prompt tax payment from the taxable, including celebrities.

However, as Henares put it: “I’d like to clarify. The truth is, when someone wins (a prize), it’s not like I immediately think about taxing him or her.” RAM