Where are they in top taxpayers' list?

Instead of just buying their own copy of Tony Lopez’s BizNews Asia with the list of the Top 500 taxpayers in 2008, I keep getting asked if this or that business leader is on the list and how much he or she paid. It is either Tony’s magazine is so difficult to find in news stands or people just don’t want to shell out P130. Tony told me it is his exclusive because the BIR took the list down from their website.

Anyway, I keep getting asked about the following tycoons: Donald Dee, Mike Varela, Sergio Luis-Ortiz who are the noisy supporters of Ate Glue and who rotate the leadership of PCCI and ECOP among themselves. Well, I didn’t find their names in the list. That probably means they paid less than P2.1 million in taxes or are in another list as corporations. Because they were vocal Ate Glue supporters, it is difficult to think they apparently weren’t ready to go all the way to their wallets. Then again, talk is a lot cheaper.

What about the Makati Business Club folks? As I said last Wednesday, I did not find any of the Zobel brothers in the list. Their first cousins Inigo Zobel and his sister Mercedes are not on the list too. There is however, a Patricia Miranda Zobel de Ayala in the list, number 11, with P20 million in paid taxes.

Makati Business Club chairman Ramon del Rosario is number 97, with P6 million in paid taxes. Just as well. He spoke for the business community in a recent meeting with P-Noy and this is what he said: “We are pleased to inform the President of an initiative that has been launched by AIM, ECCP, MAP and MBC. We are launching an Integrity Initiative where CEOs and their organizations will commit to implement policies and programs to promote integrity in their business practices.”

We can perhaps presume that the promised promotion of integrity in their practices includes the payment of the right taxes. Maybe the reason why many in the vociferous Makati crowd couldn’t be found in the list was because they didn’t trust Ate Glue to spend their money right. Now that we have honest Noynoy at the Palace, will things be different?

Other personalities from the Makati crowd in the list: Joey Cuisia at 29th with P11.2 million; Ricardo Romulo at 39th with P9.5 million. Oscar Hilado at 41st, with P9.3 million. Two PLDT executives are among the top taxpayers: Ray Espinosa at 22nd with P12.2 million and Napoleon Nazareno at 77th with P7 million. Peter Garrucho is at 152nd with P4.4 million. Joey Leviste at 197th with P3.6 million. Urban Planner Jun Palafox is 207th at P3.5 million. Raul Concepcion is 223rd with P3.3 million.

Other interesting personalities in the list: Eusebio Tanco of STI at 236 with P3.3 million; Cosmetic doctor Vicky Bello is 257th with P3.1 million. Former Chief Justice Art Panganiban is 289th with P2.9 million. Chris Monsod is 303rd with P2.8 million. Mayor Ben Abalos Jr. is 360th with P2.5 million. Former Prime Minister Cesar EA Virata is 416th with P2.3 million.

Curiously, Tonyboy Cojuangco, reported to have donated substantially (P100 million?) to the P-Noy campaign, was only at 471st and paid only P2.208 million, about the cost of a couple of Gretchen’s Hermes bags. Medical City big boss, Dr. Alfredo RA Bengzon is 469that P2.209 million.

Even if it takes so little to be on the list, I didn’t find the venerable Washington SyCip, despite his many directorships in blue chip companies and his biting lectures on good governance. Maybe he is also in another list, as a corporation or something.

On the taipans, here is how Tony Lopez saw it: “The country’s richest individual, Henry Sy Sr. is in the Top 100, No. 73, with tax payment of P7.27 million… The second richest, Lucio Tan, also missed the grade…” The Gokongweis, father and son, are not on the list but son-in-law lawyer Perry Pe is 367th with P2.5 million in taxes paid. I don’t remember seeing the Yuchengcos either who are probably in another list too.

Also missing in the list is property tycoon Manuel B. Villar, once and probably still is the richest senator. Gibo Teodoro, said to have been the richest in Ate Glue’s Cabinet isn’t there either. Also missed on the list are the former First Gentleman and all of the past presidents. Also not on the list are a number of top bankers, including one who is due for retirement and said to have the inside track for Say Tetangco’s job at the BSP.

How is it possible that the country’s richest are not the highest taxpayers? Tony quotes Mike Varela, a lawyer and chair emeritus of PCCI:

“Maybe, these people incorporated themselves…”

“When you are a corporation, you can charge everything to it, including the grocery allowance of your wife,” Tony Lopez quotes Donald Dee, the PCCI Treasurer.

According to the BizNews Asia article, former BIR Commissioner Joel Tan Torres initially published the list in the agency’s website. The list, however, disappeared. The current Commissioner Kim Henares told the magazine, “The former commissioner posted it for a time, but had to remove it because of complaints.”

The main excuse is that kidnappers will use that list. But I don’t think so. Kidnappers will, on the contrary, be disappointed that the folks they thought are rich don’t seem to be that rich, based on their tax payments.

It is just frustrating that the burden of financing this government is placed on the middle class like us whose tax payments are mostly withheld at source or added on to the things we buy. And of course, we cannot afford to get top notch tax accountants and are at the mercy of BIR examiners. But if we are to help P-Noy succeed, he needs money and not just a lot of hot air from pontificating tycoons in the Makati crowd.

How about a voluntary lifestyle tax from say, everyone who can afford a Manila Golf, Alabang or Wack Wack share? After all, the minimum amount to get to the Top 500 list is just P2.1 million and the side bets in many golf games exceed that on any one day. It shouldn’t hurt to dedicate a Saturday’s side bet once a month to help P-Noy achieve his goals for our own good.

Oh well… let us just end with this quote Tonyused from Oliver Wendell Holmes: “Taxes are what we pay for civilized society.” Otherwise, stop complaining about the anarchy around you.

The comm team

I got this e-mail from reader Jake Joaquin.

I tried to post twice at the president’s website and I was never sure if my comments ever got published. They were in fact never acknowledged: http://www.president.gov.ph/default.aspx <http://www.president.gov.ph/default.aspx> . So I’ve given up on this. I chanced to read your column today, and I sense your negative take on the communications group of P-Noy.

I saw once a press conference by Sec. Coloma, and my impression was that he loves to skirt before tackling a question head-on; in fact sometimes he forgets to answer the question. The performance of this group has not been that impressive, and I wonder why the president has not taken any step to trim, reorganize, realign or otherwise overhaul this group

My point really is only one. I was suggesting that the Administration initiate putting up a kind of SCORECARD of key issues tackled, being tackled, or resolved (or failed) by it. This can be conceivably ongoing throughout its term, eventually joined in and commented on, or evaluated, by key opinion writers and members of the academy maybe.

What is important is that they be published from time to time on a snow-balling basis so that the thinking population could be aware of what’s really happening and make their own critical evaluation or contribution. I don’t know but there must be a way to enlist the total resources of the nation to lift it from the ‘kangkungan’ where it has been bogged down these many years.

Best regards, and kudos to your always-sensible column.

Immunity

This one was sent by Jose Villaescusa.

A pretty young thing, admired by all the husbands in the club, was talking to one of the wives over drinks at the bar:

”I’ve developed an immunity to being used as a sex object by men..”

The wife grinned then replied…

”That’s not exactly surprising darling, considering the number of times you’ve been inoculated…”

Boo Chanco’s e-mail address is [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>. Past columns may be accessed at www.boochanco.net <http://www.boochanco.net>