Courtesy: Triple i Consulting Inc
THE Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) will investigate Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo for possible tax evasion amid the Senate’s probe into her alleged ties to shady Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) and questions about her true citizenship.
“I have commanded the whole BIR to cooperate with the Senate and look into the mentioned names of individuals and entities as well as their accumulated wealth. The BIR will
fully cooperate with the senate investigation on Mayor Guo. The BIR will also conduct its own investigation against the said individuals and entities,” BIR Commissioner Romeo D. Lumagui Jr. said in a statement, assuring Guo that she will receive due process.
Lumagui said that if Guo’s declared income does not match her property acquisitions during the relevant taxable years, criminal charges for tax evasion will be pursued.
He added that similar charges could also be filed against her alleged accomplices and the corporate officers of the companies involved.
“The on-going Senate investigation of Mayor Guo is being monitored by the BIR. The cash, properties, and other sources of wealth shown during the senate hearings should be
substantiated with proper payment of taxes,” Lumagui said.
The BIR is also seeking informants from both the private sector and government agencies to provide documents and evidence necessary for the audit of Guo and the associated companies.
Guo, suspended for six months by the Ombudsman, is already under scrutiny following graft complaints filed by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) regarding her alleged involvement with a raided POGO in her area.
The DILG had filed a formal complaint against Guo with the Office of the Ombudsman, stemming from her issuance of a permit to Hongsheng Gaming Technology Inc., despite the company’s failure to meet the requirements and possessing an expired license from PAGCOR.
