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Subject: Exclusive HOT Bird News! B.I.R. Update- Author: music inside buzz report by mmJun [ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ] Date Posted: 04:38:12 07/22/05 Fri Author Host/IP: 203.213.202.52 Subject : Exclusive HOT Bird News! B.I.R. Update- The B.I.R. may have blinked. They are said to be preparing to drop the tax-evasion charges against the Song Bird! Stay tune for updates.. mmJun ;-) M u s i c I n s i d e S t o r i e s http://insidebuzz.tripod.com [ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

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[> Subject: RV's False Tax Charge Update: Bad & Good News - Author: music inside buzz updated report [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 04:06:52 07/23/05 Sat Author Host/IP: 203.213.196.36 S u b j e c t : RV's False Tax Charge Update : Bad & Good News - No celebrating just yet, Regine fans.. Because there was a changing of the guard at the B.I.R. recently alot of the decisions are still very fluid and can change real fast. The new B.I.R. Commissioner had to back down on his statements he made about making settlements with those who were charged under their R.A.T.E program. It looks like Regine's case is right back to where it was a few days ago. Its caught between being dropped or being official charged and handled as a criminal case. The Department of Finance over-ruled him. Though he said he will continue to request that they consider his way of handling things. He doesn't want to be known as the person who sent people to jail but as the person who was able to collect what was due to the government. I personally like this new B.I.R. Commissioner- Jose Mario Nunag Unlike the old one he has been working there much longer and based on articles and a couple of speeches he made he sounds like someone who can be dealt with and trusted as such. Unfortunately, it seems that the finance department is keeping its "no-deals" policy. Which to me is very un-pinoy. So what does that mean for Regine Velasquez who was charged FALSELY with tax evasion? F I G H T !! Scared em into a deal! They drop the charges and make a public apologie. And Regine promises to give them (1) one free copy of her next music release. lol.. Regine should fight back by doing the exact thing Judy Ann Santos is doing to clear her name and defend her personal reputation by counter-suing the B.I.R. Especially the deputy director** there who should be cited for conflict-of-interest in filing a case against Regine. He so happens to be the sister-in-law of the ex-manager of the Song Bird. And according to the brother-in-law of the artist had a serious falling out with her ex- manager and their management company so this tax case can also be considered as "harassement!" Music Inside Buzz http://insidebuzz.tripod.com +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ** B.I.R. deputy director Kim Henares which a writer/reporter of the Inquirer pointed out is related to RV's ex-manager. But we know Regine's publicist was very much involve in this foolishness. This is government stuff here- Official business! See how two misguided managers of showbiz can easily manipulate a gov't agency like the B.I.R.! Shameless talaga .. / ========= B.I.R. news articles in Media ========== / " BIR chief reverses self, will still sue tax cheats " By Lawrence Agcaoili The new boss at the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) yesterday backpedaled on his proposal to compromise with those charged under the government�s Run After Tax Evaders (RATE) program. �The official policy is not to settle RATE cases and I will follow that policy,�Esaid BIR Commissioner Jose Mario Bunag, singing a different tune one day after he said he would ask the Department of Finance to reconsider its no-deal policy, which bars the government from entertaining any deals after a criminal case is filed. In an apparent rejection of that plan, Finance Secretary Margarito Teves yesterday vowed to pursue tax evasion cases to send a strong signal that the government is bent on eradicating tax cheats who rob the national coffers of about P85.3 billion a year. �Our vigilance in guarding our nation�s financial resources will not cease and will, in fact, be heightened,�E Teves said. Teves pointed out that the all-out campaign against tax evasion is aimed at changing taxpayer behavior and compliance by increasing the risk associated with violating tax laws. Bunag quickly toed this line at a luncheon forum hosted by the Manila Overseas Press Club (MOPC) yesterday. Bunag�s pronouncement last Thursday was a sharp departure from the tough stance taken by resigned finance secretary Cesar Purisima and former BIR commissioner Guillermo Parayno Jr. against any deals with those charged with tax evasion. The finance department and BIR have filed 17 tax evasion complaints with the Department of Justice. Those charged include former agriculture secretary Arthur Yap, actor-politician Richard Gomez, singer Regine Velasquez, talent manager Douglas Quijano, soap opera actress Judy Ann Santos, and basketball superstar Paul �Asi�ETaulava. Since the first Operation RATE case against Cristina Aboitiz-Juan of Fitness by Design Inc. and Dr. Joel Cortez Mendez of Mendez Medical Group last March 10, not a single case has been filed by the justice department before the Court of Tax Appeals. This has forced the finance department to ask Malaca�ang to step in to expedite the pending cases. The justice department earlier said it would bring cases to the Court of Tax Appeals within 60 days of their filing. The finance department, meanwhile, is also hoping to tap municipal, metropolitan, and provincial trial courts to hasten the conviction of suspected tax evaders. Under the National Internal Revenue Code, the department and the BIR can file tax evasion cases before these courts if they involve less than P1 million, and can file cases over P1 million before the Court of Tax Appeals. Teves said taxpayers who want to comply with the country�s tax laws can do so through voluntary compliance under Revenue Regulation 15-2005 and the no-audit program under RR 6-2005. Under the first RR, taxpayers who pay back taxes by rectifying previous income tax returns can do so on or before July 31 until the end of the year and be charged a 25 percent surcharge. The second RR exempts taxpayers whose tax payments exceed 20 percent of the previous year�s payments from BIR audit. http://www.manilastandardonline.com/?page=news05_july23_2005 / ========= B.I.R. news articles in Media ========== / " Customs, BIR: No Sacred Cows " By Paolo Romero / The Philippine Star 07/23/2005 http://www.philstar.com/philstar/NEWS200507230407.htm Two members of President Arroyo�s economic team vowed yesterday there would be no "sacred cows" in their fight against smuggling and tax evasion. Alexander Arevalo and Mario Bu�ag, newly designated officers-in- charge of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) and Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) Bu�ag said the BIR is "investigating everybody," but this has not been made public since it could affect their chances of catching tax evaders. "In fairness to this administration, since I joined the bureau in 2002, I have not received a single call from that place by the river," Bu�ag said, referring to Malaca�ang. "I don�t know (about) the former (BIR) commissioner (Guillermo Parayno), I just had one or two calls from other department heads before," he added without elaborating. Bu�ag said if he cannot do his job properly, "I might as well get out." He said the BIR will continue with its Run After Tax Evaders (RATE) program but would also adopt "a kinder and gentler" approach. Bu�ag warned delinquent taxpayers that with the BIR�s computerized system, virtually all transactions are recorded and detecting tax evasion is much easier. / ========= B.I.R. news articles in Media ========== / " Holy Cows " MY VIEWPOINT By Ricardo V. Puno, Jr. The Philippine Star 07/23/2005 http://www.philstar.com/philstar/NEWS200507232604.htm Will Jojo Bunag be able to go hammer and tongs against tax evaders, a commitment that is on record, if the alleged evaders also happen to be among the most reliable contributors to campaign and "crisis management" coffers? Will Balong Arevalo keep his promise "to meet targets" if to keep them means he will have to go against known big-time but well-connected smugglers, those he calls not sacred cows but "holy cows?" / ========= B.I.R. news articles in Media ========== / BIR misses 6-month target~! THE BUREAU of Internal Revenue said it missed its revenue collection target for the first half of the year. http://money.inq7.net/topstories/view_topstories.php? yyyy=2005&mon=07&dd=13&file=4 from da +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ rv_thebirdnest � rEgInE VeLasQueZ - tHe fAns BiRd'S nEsT! http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/rv_thebirdnest/ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ [ Post a Reply to This Message ]

[> [> Subject: New BIR wants to settle, not sue Author: By Roy Pelovello [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 04:11:58 07/23/05 Sat Author Host/IP: 203.213.196.36 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++ NOTE: THIS IS THE ARTICLE RELEASED THE DAY BEFORE THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT CHANGED THE MIND OF THE B.I.R.'s IDEA TO SETTLE. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ New BIR wants to settle, not sue By Roy Pelovello In a sharp departure from the current policy and the tough stance of his predecessor, the new chief at the Bureau of Internal Revenue says he is willing to consider compromises with those charged with tax evasion. BIR Commissioner Jose Mario Bunag told journalists yesterday he has asked the Department of Finance to reconsider its �no-deal� policy, which bars the government from entertaining any deals after a criminal case is filed. In a press briefing yesterday, Bunag said his mandate is to collect more taxes, not to punish tax evaders. �I will be judged at the end of my term on how much (in taxes) I collected, and not how many people I sent to jail,� Bunag said. At the same time, Bunag said he is ready to go after suspected gambling lords by doing lifestyle checks to see if their expenses match their declared income. He said these investigations could go to the extent of finding out what countries the suspects have visited and where their children go to school. �We are not sparing anyone,� Bunag said, noting that not even Rep. Juan Miguel Arroyo, the President�s son, or her brother-in-law Rep. Ignacio Arroyo, is exempt from the investigation. Program revived Bunag made this remarks as he announced the filing of a P165.5-million tax evasion case against a customs bonded warehouse as part of the Run After Tax Evaders (RATE) program. Bunag said that as far as he is concerned, RATE was designed to encourage people to pay their taxes. If the taxpayer would offer to settle his tax liability, he asked, why should the BIR refuse the payment? What�s important is that people see that the BIR is serious and means business, Bunag said. If the finance department gives its nod to a compromise, the party concerned must settle his tax liabilities, Bunag said. �We can only talk compromise on two grounds: One, when the assessment is of doubtful validity; and two, when the financial capacity of the taxpayer to pay (is in question),� Bunag said. Former Finance secretary Cesar Purisima put the no-deal policy in place while launching a high-profile campaign against suspected tax evaders, including showbiz personalities such as Richard Gomez, Regine Velasquez and Judy Ann Santos. Purisima, former Customs commissioner Guillermo Parayno and other members of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo�s economic team resigned on July 8 and urged the President to do the same. Yesterday�s filing of criminal complaint against Mitsuko Philippines Corp., a customs bonded warehouse engaged in the manufacture of Christmas decor, lights and other decorative novelty items for export, marked a revival of the tax campaign under the new officials. Respondents were Yen Chan Liaw and King Lin Leu, officers of the company, for allegedly failing to pay taxes from 1998 to 2002. According to the complaint, Customs documents showed that Mitsuko imported resins worth over P1.5 billion from 1998 to 2002 but failed to file the necessary income tax returns for those years. BIR said the importation should have generated income for Mitsuko. BIR also alleged that Mitsuko failed to file the required withholding tax returns on compensation and expanded withholding tax for the five-year period. Moreover, it was also found that Mitsuko had been using the tax identification number of another company. BIR also said Mitsuko apparently abused its import privileges by importing an excessive amount of resin not for the manufacture of Christmas decor but for other plastic products. With Lawrence Agcaoili [ Post a Reply to This Message ]

[> [> [> Subject: No tax trial yet? Blame BIR, says DoJ Author: By Armand Nocum /Inquirer News Service [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 05:49:54 07/23/05 Sat Author Host/IP: 203.213.196.36 No tax trial yet? Blame BIR, says DoJ First posted 03:44am (Mla time) July 21, 2005 By Armand Nocum /Inquirer News Service Editor's Note: Published on page A2 of the July 21, 2005 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer TOP justice department officials yesterday took umbrage at resigned Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima's taking to Malaca�ng his claim that none of the complaints filed by the finance department's Run After Tax Evaders (RATE) program have made it to court in the five months since the RATE started. Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez said the reason why the complaints have not made it to the courts was that they were filed in a haphazard manner and wondered whether the RATE program was just "all for show." The RATE, an intensified program against tax evasion launched last March, has set out to file charges against high-profile tax delinquents every week. Chief State Prosecutor Jovencito Zu�o blamed the delay on the fact that the evidence in some cases were not complete or lawyers from the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) did not appear during preliminary investigations at the Department of Justice (DoJ). In a letter to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo before he resigned last week, Purisima complained of the delay and said the finance department might just decide to file the tax evasion cases before the Court of Tax Appeals or the local courts. "It's their fault. They keep on filing motions to reopen the case even if it is already up for resolution,� said Zu�o, citing the RATE's case against popular singer Regine Velasquez. He said motions to reopen the case were being filed because the BIR wants to "present additional documentary evidence.� "Why are they filing these cases if they lack the evidence?� asked Zu�o. He reminded the BIR that the DoJ's role was "neutral," its duty being to merely evaluate the cases and hold a preliminary investigation to determine whether the cases should be dismissed or filed in court if warranted by the evidence. He said the DoJ cannot be counted on to gather evidence for the BIR. "We are not engaged in case build-up,� Zu�o said. He said it was not that the RATE cases were weak, merely that they were "not sufficient in documentary evidence." But he said the DoJ was speeding up the resolution of some of the cases and would file them in court starting next week. A ranking BIR official said the requirement to file the cases with the DoJ could be done away with as the National Internal Revenue Code empowers the BIR to file tax evasion cases directly with the courts. Tax evasion cases worth less than P1 million are filed either with municipal, metropolitan or regional trial courts, while those involving at least P1 million are filed with the Court of Tax Appeals. The BIR official explained that both the DoJ and fiscal authorities were undergoing a learning process in the handling of criminal cases involving tax evasion. While DoJ lawyers have yet to fully master the handling of relatively complex tax-related cases, the DoF and BIR officials are also undergoing training in building criminal cases, the official said. Before the RATE program, most tax-related cases pursued by the DoF and the BIR were civil in nature. This was because previously the government was inclined to drop criminal charges when the respondents decided to pay the disputed taxes. With a report from Michelle V. Remo [ Post a Reply to This Message ]

[> [> [> [> Subject: Re: No tax trial yet? Blame BIR, says DoJ Author: By Cynthia D. Balana /Inquirer News Service [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 05:55:31 07/23/05 Sat Author Host/IP: 203.213.196.36 BIR resumes drive vs tax cheats First posted 06:01am (Mla time) July 22, 2005 By Cynthia D. Balana /Inquirer News Service Get INQ7 breaking news on your Smart mobile phone in the Philippines. Send INQ7 BREAKING to 386. AFTER a two-week hiatus following the resignation of its head, the Bureau of Internal Revenue Thursday revived its campaign against tax evaders by filing charges against an export company for failure to pay taxes amounting to P165 million over five years. Mitsuko Phil. Corporation, a customs bonded warehouse engaged in the manufacture of Christmas decorations, lights and other novelty items for export, was charged before the Department of Justice for non-filing of income tax returns, withholding tax returns on compensation and expanded withholding tax from 1998 to 2002. Named respondents in the complaint were King Lin Leu, the company president, and Yen Chan Liaw, treasurer. The BIR found out that Mitsuko imported excessive quantities of resins -- the raw material for the manufacture of plastic products -- valued at P1.5 billion during the four-year period. It said resin was not a material used for Mitsuko's Christmas decor products. The BIR also discovered that Mitsuko had been using a tax identification number, 000-697-5110, in various documents filed with the Bureau of Customs which belonged to another company. "The Mitsuko officials' deliberate and repeated failure to file their company's income tax returns demonstrates their willful and unlawful intent not to declare their true income," said BIR commissioner Jose Mario Bunag. He said the Securities and Exchange Commission also confirmed that the company failed to file the necessary general information sheet from 1999 to 2002, and the company's financial statements from 1999 to 2002. BIR assistant commissioner Gerardo Flores said Mitsuko had annual earnings of P22 million and P21 million in 1998 and 1999. This rose to P637 million and P858 million for the taxable years 2001 and 2002, respectively. Flores also said a tipster informed the BIR about Mitsuko's violations. Mitsuko is the 27th corporate entity that has been charged by the BIR for tax evasion under the Operation RATE (Run After Tax Evaders) which was started by former Finance secretary Cesar Purisima. The filing of charges against tax evaders was suspended for two weeks after the BIR commissioner Guillermo Parayno Jr. resigned. Bunag, the BIR assistant commissioner for legal affairs, replaced Parayno. Finance Undersecretary Emmanuel Bonoan said the tax evasion campaign would continue no matter who led the BIR or the finance department. "We have institutionalized the program and we are glad that its existence is not dependent on the personalities at the helm," he said. [ Post a Reply to This Message ]