Finance Dep't agencies file 302 cases to stop revenue leaks

The attached agencies of the Department of Finance have filed 302 cases in total as of November 19, 2012, all towards closing revenue leakages, department data shows. The Bureau of Internal Revenue filed 140 tax evasion cases while the Bureau of Customs filed 107 cases against alleged smuggling and the Department's Revenue Integrity Protection Service (RIPS) filed 55 revenue integrity cases against 59 revenue officials. The Aquino administration has outpaced its predecessor in filing such cases, said BIR Commissioner Kim Henares. From the time the BIR's Run After Tax Evaders (RATE) program was launched in 2005 the Arroyo administration filed 127 tax evasion cases with total tax liabilities of P7.03 billion, while the 140 cases filed under the current administration have total tax liabilities of about P44.27 billion, she said. However, two of the cases have been dismissed by the Department of Justice with finality as of October 12. Seventeen are pending before the Court of Tax appeals and other courts, while the rest are pending at the DOJ. Henares attributed the rise to the BIR's drive to file cases every other Thursday. “We will continue to investigate and hammer down on tax evaders—especially self-employed professionals who dishonestly report their tax returns,” she said in a statement issued by the department. RIPS' 55 cases filed in the two and a half years of the Aquino administration is almost half of the total number of cases the unit has filed since its formation in 2003. The 107 cases filed by the BOC's Run After the Smugglers (RATS) program have total duties and tax liabilities estimated at P25.92 billion and total dutiable value at P52.36 billion. — BM, GMA News