BIR files P1.95B worth of tax cases

The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) on Thursday filed P1.95 billion worth of tax evasion cases against a doctor, a lawyer and his accountant, and a packaging container manufacturer.     BIR Commissioner Kim Henares filed complaints at the Department of Justice against Jedvam Manufacturing Corp. and its officers led by president Henry Chua Yu.   Despite a demand for payment issued by the BIR, the manufacturing firm failed to pay taxes in 2007 and 2008, the bureau said.   The maker of packaging containers did not reply to several assessment notices, according to the BIR.   In its investigation, the BIR discovered that Jedvam imported P4.99 billion worth of resins from 2007 to 2008.   The Bureau of Import Services and the Bureau of Customs helped the BIR trace the company’s transactions, which led the BIR to discover that Jedvam had a tax deficiency of P1.93 billion.   Charges were also filed against Salvador Gundayao Austria, a medical doctor, for violating Sections 254 and 255 of the National Internal Revenue Code.   The BIR noted Austria owns several real properties in Olongapo City and along Tomas Morato in Quezon City and buys, sells and leases properties.   But Austria was not a registered VAT taxpayer, the BIR said.   Investigation showed Austria leased a property in Quezon City to HUBB Manufacturing Incorporated for P180,000 a month from 1999 to 2009, but the doctor did not file income tax returns for 2002, 2003 and 2005, according to the BIR. Austria also did not file VAT returns in the seven years to 2005.   His cumulative tax deficiency stood at P13.69 million, including surcharge and interest, the bureau claimed.   The BIR also charged lawyer Abelardo Luzano for supposedly violating Sections 254 ad 255 of the NIRC in 2009 and 2010.   Also charged was Evangeline Padilla-Kho, a certified public accountant who supposedly certified Luzano’s financial statements despite knowing about the lawyer’s tax liabilities.   Luzano’s clients included Bank of Philippine Islands, Banco de Oro Unibank Inc., Asia United Bank Corporation, and Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, the bureau noted.   The banks paid Luzano at least P14.65 million for his services during the two-year period, but he declared only P8.09 million, according to the BIR.   The BIR claimed Luzano did not pay VAT in 2009 and in the first and second quarters of 2010.   Including surcharge and interest, Luzano had a cumulative tax deficiency of P6.63 million, the BIR said. —With Mark Merueñas/VS, GMA News