Foul! BIR slaps P31.23M tax evasion case vs. two Talk 'N Text cagers

The Bureau of Internal Revenue on Thursday filed tax evasion cases worth more than P30 million against two Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) players from the Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters of Smart Communications. According to the complaint filed by the BIR with the Department of Justice in Manila, Jim Olmedo Alapag earned close to P4 million from PLDT in 2007 and P8.77 million in 2012 from Smart. The BIR placed his total income as a professional basketball player at P32.28 million. However, Alapag - named 2003 PBA Rookie of the Year - failed to file his income tax returns for taxable years 2007 to 2010 and value added tax returns from 2007 to 2012. Computing his tax deficiency from 2007 to 2012, the BIR said Alapag owed the government P17.86 million, which already included interest and surcharge. Meanwhile, the BIR said Alapag's teammate, Jared Ryan Dillinger, earned P694,000 from PLDT in 2008 and P6.48 million from Smart in 2012, with a total income as a basketball player of P22.19 million. Dillinger, 29, did not file the following: income tax returns from 2008 to 2011; percentage tax return for 2008; and value added tax returns from 2009 to 2012. The BIR computed Dillinger’s tax deficiency at P13.37 million, including surcharge and interest. - AMD, GMA News