BIR: Taguba earned P1.2 billion as Customs ‘fixer’ in 2016

Mark Taguba. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE

A billionaire under 30?

Mark Ruben Taguba, the 26-year-old fixer implicated in the P6.4-billion drug shipment from China, earned P1.2 billion from facilitating imports at the Bureau of Customs (BOC) in 2016.

This was bared by Commissioner Caesar Dulay of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) in a briefing on Wednesday after they filed an P850-million tax evasion case against Taguba before the Department of Justice (DOJ).

“Based on the congressional inquiries and data obtained from the BOC, a total of 7,458 and 7,694 container vans were brought-in by Mr. Taguba’s consignees for 2016 and 2017, respectively,” Dulay said.

“For 2016 alone, Taguba earned P1,267,860,000 at P170,000 per container van,” the commissioner said.

Taguba admitted under oath before congressional inquiries that his clients would pay him an “all-in” sum ranging from P170,000 to P190,000 per container van, Dulay said.

Out of the “all-in” sum, P1,500 per container van was paid to a “consignee for hire” while P500 was paid for the “signing broker” for the import transactions, Dulay noted, citing Taguba’s testimony.

In addition, Taguba testified that P27,000 per container van was given to various Customs personnel as bribe or “tara,” while he also charges P10,000 for a trucking fee, the commissioner said.

The BIR filed tax evasion case against Taguba for failing to file any income tax return or value added tax return from 2009 to 2016. /cbb