Taxman goes after pork… the real thing
MANILA, Philippines - That succulent lechon on your noche buena table last Christmas may have benefited a tax evader.
Revenue officials have trained their sights on roasted pig or lechon sellers – but not for gustatory reasons.
The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and the Department of Finance, in their latest Tax Watch ad published in newspapers yesterday, said only 11 of the 17 major sellers of lechon paid income taxes in 2012. The BIR is under the DOF.
Sellers of lechon made a killing during the Christmas season, with each roasted pig costing at least P3,000.
Among those that did not file income tax returns were Elars Lechon, Sabroso Lechon, Hecky’s, Aling Loring’s, Jiro’s Lechon, and Cris Native Lechon.
Two lechon sellers – Three Little Pigs and Rico’s Lechon – filed income tax returns but paid zero taxes.
The BIR noted that the average income tax due these lechon sellers was P77,903 in 2012.
Cebu-based CnT Lechon was the highest taxpayer among the lechon sellers, having paid P465,270.
It was followed by Ulcing’s Lechon with P123,255.
In third and fourth places were Ping-Ping’s Lechon (P93,456) and Charlie’s Pritchon (P67,282), respectively.
Lydia’s Lechon was the fifth top taxpayer, having remitted P47,017 to the government.
It was followed by Cebu’s famous lechon maker Zubuchon with P32,697 and June & Jun’s Lechon with P17,529.
General’s Lechon paid only P5,594 in taxes while Mila’s Lechon paid P5,099, which is less than the price of its 18-kilo lechon.
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