P61-M tax case slapped vs Napoles couple

MANILA, Philippines - The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has filed a P61-million tax evasion case against the alleged mastermind of the pork barrel scam, Janet Lim-Napoles, and her husband Jaime.

BIR Commissioner Kim Jacinto-Henares said Napoles has a tax liability of P44.68 million, while her husband owes the government P16.43 million in taxes, or a total of P61.11 million for the couple.

In a statement, the BIR said the Napoles couple was charged with willful attempt to evade or defeat tax for the years 2004, 2006, and from 2008 until 2012.

“In addition, Janet Napoles was charged with deliberate failure to supply correct and accurate information in her Income Tax Return (ITR) for taxable years 2004, 2006, 2008, and 2009 and with willful failure to file her ITRs for taxable years 2010, 2011 and 2012,” the BIR stressed.

Jaime Napoles was also charged for not supplying the correct and accurate information in his ITR for 2009 and for his failure to file his ITR for 2004, 2006, 2008, and from 2010 until 2012.

“Information gathered during investigation disclosed that spouses Napoles during the years 2004 to 2012 were able to purchase and register in their names various real properties, a number of motor vehicles, several insurance policies and club shares. They also invested millions of pesos in various new corporations,” the BIR stressed.

Acquisitions of the couple included condominium units in Cityland Mega Plaza and the Discovery Center, and parcels of land in Pangasinan and Kidapawan City.

The Napoleses also have insurance policies with Insular Life Assurance Co., Ltd., Philippine American Life & General Insurance Co., Inc., and Philippine Axa Life Insurance Corp., and have purchased vehicles that include a Ford Lincoln Navigator, Honda Civic and Porsche Cayenne.

The bureau said data showed Janet Napoles’ total acquisitions summed up to P4.17 million in 2004, P22.29 million in 2006, P4.35 million in 2008, P9.84 million in 2009, P6.33 million in 2010, P5.64 million in 2011 and P6.89 million in 2012.

But these were made with an income of only P195,800 in 2004, zero in 2006, P100,744 in 2008 and zero in 2009, as shown in her ITRs.

She did not file any ITR from 2010 to 2012.

Her husband, meanwhile, had total acquisitions worth P1.42 million in 2004, P5.51 million in 2006, P0.78 million in 2008, P9.25 million in 2009, P2.1 million in 2010, P1.17 million in 2011 and P3.65 million in 2012.

The bureau saw this unfitting as he did not file any ITR for those years except in 2009, during which he declared nothing.

As a result, Janet Napoles’ total income tax liability comes up to P44.68 million, while her husband was assessed a total income tax liability of P16.43 million.

The case against the couple is the 190th filed under the BIR’s Run After Tax Evaders program, part of the agency’s aggressive campaign to increase revenues. With Aurea Calica