Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 25) —The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has filed 347 tax liability complaints with an estimated combined amount of ₱24.02 billion in 2019 as part of the government’s campaign against tax evaders.
The said complaints were filed either before the Department of Justice (DOJ) or the Court of Tax Appeals (CTA).
“This is the first time that the bureau has filed this many complaints for tax evasion against various individuals and corporations”, said BIR Deputy Commissioner Arnel Guballa during a recent Executive Committee (Execom) meeting of the Department of Finance.
Under BIR’s Run After Tax Evaders program, 209 cases for preliminary investigation were filed before the DOJ last year for tax liabilities of various individuals and corporations with an estimated amount of ₱ 19.06 billion.
This is 56.85% higher than the 197 cases filed in 2018 involving ₱15 billion worth of tax liabilities.
Meanwhile, BIR has filed 38 tax liability cases before the CTA worth ₱4.94 billion. This is higher than the 12 cases filed in 2018.
Guballa said the cases filed before the CTA involving close to ₱5 billion tax liabilities represent a 480.67% increase over the estimated ₱851.57 million in taxes that the BIR is expecting to collect in 2018.
The BIR has so far 118 tax-related cases pending before CTA as of December 31.
On the other hand, the bureau also collected ₱1.92 billion last year under its Oplan Kandado program which led to the temporary closure of 743 establishments for various violations of the National Internal Revenue Code.
BIR’s performance in the Oplan Kandado program in 2019 represents a 218.88% improvement compared to the 233 closures of establishments in 2018 and a 140.76% increase in collections amounting to ₱799.47 million during that year.
In 2017, the government collected more than ₱30 billion from cigarette manufacturer Mighty Corp. after it failed to pay excise taxes worth ₱37.9 billion and for using fake tax stamps on its cigarettes. It is said to be the biggest sum on record raised by the government from a tax settlement with a single corporate taxpayer.
