Duterte said, “Kayong mga mayayaman, pay your taxes”
Pres. Rodrigo Duterte warned the wealthy businessmen who do not pay their tax obligations that they shall soon be named.
The president’s pronouncement was made as he spoke to the men and women of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) 8th Infrantry Division in Catbalogan in Samar Province, late Monday afternoon. It came a day after Duterte named former and incumbent politicians, police and military officers, and judges who are involved in the illegal drug trade.
The AFP commander-in-chief said he is set to announce, believed to be publicly, the wealthy people who do not pay their taxes accordingly and promptly, when the list is already completed.
Duterte plans to invite the to-be-identified businessmen for questioning and if they do not come, he will send police to do the interrogation.
Duterte reiterated that the ‘large’ tax evaders destroy the country and he will not let them do so under his term of six years.
“Kayong mga mayayaman, pay your taxes. I will be announcing formally but I have to have the list completed. Lahat kayong mga milyonaryong mayayaman sa Pilipinas, pay your taxes or I’ll invite you for questioning”, said Pres. Duterte.
The Philippine Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has tax programs to run after tax evaders.
One is the RATE or the Run Against Tax Evaders program. It is a program initiated by Department of Finance (DOF) and BIR to investigate and prosecute individuals and/or entities engaged in tax evasion and other criminal violations of the National Internal Revenue Code (NIRC) of 1997.
There is also this Oplan Kandado Program which started in January 2009 under Revenue memorandum order No. 3-2009 intended to punish erring taxpayers by temporarily shutting down business operations of taxpayers based on specific grounds such as: failure to issue VAT receipt or invoice, failure to file VAT return, understatement of VATable sales by 30% or more, or failure to register.