BIR files tax evasion case against Corona

Three months after his ouster as Chief Justice, Renato Corona was slapped with a  P150-million tax evasion charge by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).

Corona said the charge filed by the BIR in the Department of Justice (DOJ) Thursday against him, his daughter Ma. Carla and her husband Constantino Castillo III was part of a continuing persecution by the Aquino administration.

Internal Revenue Commissioner Kim Henares said that Corona had a total net worth of P161.15 million from his declared income of P26.45 million based on an examination of his SALN submitted during his  trial.

“There were underreported assets, undeclared assets, unreported cash. All of these were included and determined what his real net worth is for the end of each specific year,’’ Henares said in a news conference at the DOJ main office.

She said Corona should pay the government P120.5 million in taxes, inclusive of surcharges and interests covering 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008 and 2010.

Henares said Corona’s net worth could be even more, saying the assessment did not cover dollar accounts.

She added that Corona had revoked a waiver on all his bank accounts he signed during his Senate trial when he challenged his accusers to do the same to open a new regime of transparency. It was resoundingly ignored.

In a statement, Banco de Oro confirmed that Corona had revoked the waiver and was seeking relief from a Makati court from the BIR action against its client in view of the bank secrecy law prohibiting disclosure of accounts without the consent of the owner.

Malacañang said Henares was simply plugging loopholes in the tax system and the complaint filed in the DOJ was a natural consequence of Corona’s being found guilty by the Senate impeachment court in May of fudging declarations in his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN) for which he was sacked.

“Since this administration started, the filing of tax evasion cases has been ongoing,” said presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda.

“This is not something extraordinary,” Lacierda said. “In this particular case, there’s already existing evidence to support the filing of a tax evasion case.”

Corona’s daughter is being sued in connection with a tax liability amounting to P9.93 million, and her husband, for a tax liability of P20.24 million.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer