4 gold traders face tax raps

MANILA, Philippines - Four gold traders were charged with tax evasion before the Department of Justice (DOJ) yesterday.

In separate complaints, the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) sought the indictment of Felonila Caluag, Diomedita Canonigo, Sylvia Cantoria and Ronald Castro, who are doing business with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).

Internal Revenue Commissioner Kim Jacinto-Henares submitted as evidence BSP transaction sheets showing income of all four respondents during the years they did not file income tax returns (ITRs).

“They did not report any income at all during the specified periods,” she said.

“They did not file their income tax returns, but we have evidence to prove that they earned in those years.”

Henares said Caluag attempted to evade paying taxes worth over P865 million from 2005 to 2009 for sales of refined gold from the BSP amounting to P1.27 billion.

Canonigo failed to report his income worth P2.55 billion from 2005 to 2009 and evaded taxes worth P1.65 billion, she added.

Henares said Cantoria did not pay P683 million in taxes from 2006 to 2008.

Castro has a deficiency in income taxes amounting to P1.56 billion from 2005 to 2009, she added.

These new cases have brought to 42 the total number of cases filed before the DOJ under the BIR’s Run After Tax Evaders (RATE) program since July last year.

Earlier this month, the BIR filed P73.85-million tax evasion charges against former presidential son and Ang Galing Pinoy Rep. Juan Miguel Arroyo and his wife, Angela.