Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 22) – The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has filed 15 criminal complaints against buyers and sellers of ghost receipts under its Run After Fake Transactions Task Force amounting to ₱1.8 billion tax liability.
The BIR is going after 69 corporations, corporate officers, and accountants named as respondents before the Department of Justice.
According to the BIR, the buyers and sellers of ghost receipts come from construction and hardware, marketing of goods, equipment, office supplies, automotive oils, trading of metals, contractor electrical and mechanical systems, hotel, and food services.
“Rehistrado ang mga korporasyong ito sa SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission). Rehistrado rin sa amin sa BIR. So, they’re going through the process of registration at kumukuha ng resibo,” BIR Commissioner Romeo Lumagui explained.
“Pero again walang produktong binebenta ito at walang serbisyong binebenta,\” he also said. \”Ang talagang binebenta lang nila ay itong mga resibo na ito.”
[Translation: The corporations are registered in the SEC and BIR. So, they’re going through the process of registration and acquiring of receipts. But, then again, they are not selling any products or services. What they’ re selling are just the receipts.]
These entities and individuals are accused of tax evasion, failure to supply correct and accurate information in the income tax return, perjury, and making false records or reports under the National Internal Revenue Code, the BIR said.
Lumagui said the sale and use of ghost receipts is a tax-evasion scheme of the highest order.
He added that they are already preparing the next set of criminal complaints.
“We really want to change taxpayers’ behavior na hindi pwede yung ganitong kalakaran dahil malaking buwis ang nawawala dito kaya tuloy-tuloy ang aming pag-iimbestiga dito at tuloy-tuloy ang pagsasampa ng kaso,” Lumagui said.
