Pacquiao says BIR just doesn't want Pinoys to be happy

 

"Para matabunan 'yung victory na nakuha natin... May mga tao na ayaw tayong maging masaya," he said in a report aired on "24 Oras" Thursday evening.

 

Pacquiao also hinted politics may be behind the tax case against him. "Ang sabi ng tao, huwag isipin ang pulitika.. Alam kong pulitika din ito," he said.

 

He was quick to insulate President Benigno Aquino III from blame, however.

 

"Walang kinalaman ang Pangulo dito. Ang problema is between the BIR at ako lang," Pacquiao said.

 

He maintained that he paid taxes for income in the US in 2009, adding he had a copy of his US non-resident alien income tax return to prove it.

 

"May kopya nga ako... Hindi pa kasi nila ino-honor 'yung binayaran kong tax sa America," Pacquiao said.

 

He went on to say that he is not afraid to lose his wealth.

 

"The Bible says 'What people value highly is detestable in God's side.' Kung gusto natin ng kaligtasan, huwag natin ilagay ang material things in our hearts and in our mind," said Pacquiao, who is also a preacher aside from being a lawmaker and athlete.

 

Under a tax treaty between the US and the Philippines, a Filipino citizen's taxes paid in the US for income earned there can cover the same amount of his Philippine taxes. But Pacquiao would still have to pay the balance, if any, of his tax liability of P2.2 billion.

 

Pacquiao is being asked to show US tax documents that would prove that he paid taxes on income from matches he fought in Las Vegas in 2008 and 2009, one of the most illustrious and lucrative periods in Pacquiao's career.

 

In 2009, Pacquiao, the Forbes' list's 14th highest paid athlete in the world, had two boxing matches – both of which were held in Las Vegas, Nevada.

 

He took home a $12 million purse and approximately $24 million, or 52 percent, of pay-per-view buys estimated at $47 million in the fight against British boxer Ricky Hatton, according to reports.

 

In his match against Puerto Rican boxer Miguel Cotto, Pacquiao earned a minimum $13 million purse and roughly $45.5 million, or 65 percent of pay-per-view buys estimated at $70 million. — Marc Jayson Cayabyab/JDS, GMA News