Revenue Commissioner Kim Henares on her last day in office on Wednesday filed tax evasion charges against former Land Transportation Office (LTO) chair Alberto Suansing, a former town mayor in Bohol, among 11 individuals and companies with reportedly unpaid taxes reaching P85 billion.
Bringing the tax evasion charges to the Department of Justice (DOJ), Henares cited the “need to follow the rule of law.”
In a press briefing at the DOJ, Henares said Suansing, who is now the president of North Star Port Development, and his treasurer Rosauro Aguinaldo were charged with a tax evasion case due to a tax deficiency in 2008 worth P29.83 million.
The company is engaged in providing arrastre, stevedoring and other cargo handling services.
Former mayor of Carmen, Bohol Conchita Toribio delos Reyes, now the founder of Beauche International beauty soap firm, was also charged for total liability of P15.73 million.
She did not mention the other names on her charge sheet.
On questions that the BIR was only going after small firms and evading big corporations, Henares said the bureau files tax evasion cases “based on evidence,” adding, “we are not epal [attention seekers].”
“As far as I’m concerned, we are not running after high profile individuals, our gauge is that these people have earned much but did not pay the proper taxes,” said Henares.
Henares said there were some high profile businessmen but their assets were not liquid or they were heavily in debt.
“There are also many people in the Philippines that are not known to be rich but are in fact richer than many high profile personalities. Many prominent persons maintain their rich image in order to be able to get financing,” she said in the vernacular.