Manny should refuse tax exemption

Senator Koko Pimentel must be in love with Manny Pacquiao. That is the only plausible reason I see for his reported intention to file a bill seeking to exempt Manny from paying taxes. If Koko is not in love with Manny, then he must be hopelessly confused. For why would anyone in his right mind exempt someone as rich as Manny from paying taxes?

It is precisely this filthy richness of Manny that has driven BIR commissioner Kim Henares to take a position diametrically opposed to that of Koko. Kim wants Manny taxed for whatever he is worth. Kim is so "gigil na gigil" over the riches of Manny that if the "utot" of Manny can be taxed, she would probably tax that too. To Kim, the richest athlete in the country is a sitting duck just waiting to be plucked and she is not about to squander her opportunity to do so.

I hate Kim Henares for allowing herself to be used by Noynoy Aquino in cracking down against his political enemies. But I like her putting her foot down as far as Manny is concerned. It's not Manny who should be given tax breaks, if at all. It should be the ordinary Filipinos who are taxed through the nose at the source who should be given tax concessions.

I do not buy the logic of Koko that Manny has given so great an honor to the country that he should be tax exempt as a matter of reciprocity. If that is the logic that makes for bar topnotchers, then Heaven help the Philippines. Since when has honor been the subject of taxation, or exemption from it. As far as I can recall every admonition and exhortation pertaining to honor that everyone gets through with in life never carries with it a proposition for tax exemption.

Besides, the honor Manny has given the country is an honor that he fought for. There is never an easy moment in the boxing ring. A triumph in that arena is an honor that can never be paid for with anything other than the willingness of the fighter to risk everything in order to survive and win. Throw tax exemption into the ring and it dilutes the glory that comes with the honor.

Honor becomes dishonorable when one does not pay his taxes, even if by means of an exemption. To not pay taxes is to have it easy while others toil and scrape to make ends meet after the taxman has taken his share. Paying taxes is a civic duty, a patriotic obligation that must not be avoided by citizens, even if it hurts to the bone.

There are a good number of ways to repay those who bring honor to the country. In fact, the adulation of a grateful nation is more than the just reward Manny can ever hope to expect for the honor he has given the Philippines. In fact the respect of the nation has been there for Manny ever since he stated making a name for himself in boxing.

That the Philippines grinds to a halt each time Manny has a fight is enough recognition for a reasonably honorable man. It is a recognition that has not a pecuniary shape and smell to it. It is a recognition that is palpable everywhere he goes in his native country. One does not have to put a price tag on it because it is simply priceless.

If Manny gets exempted from paying taxes, and he actually grabs at the opportunity and enjoys it, there is a very real danger that he will be ostracized for it. Taking exemption from taxes will diminish the stature of Manny greatly in the eyes of his fellow citizens. Many will forget the honor he has brought the country. To those who themselves pay taxes religiously, Manny will become nothing more than a money-hungry opportunist.

I myself do not think Manny will bite the dangled exemption, that is if he has the self-respect of a truly great and honorable man. Not even the biggest of tax gains he can enjoy from an exemption will be enough to counter the fallout that will likely ensue from such selfishness. Manny is filthy rich enough even if the taxman bites off the size of China from his earnings.

Manny will never be poor again in terms of wealth. For aside from boxing, he is also one of the country's most successful product endorsers. If Manny intends to live out the rest of his life in honor and respect, he must never touch the Koko proposal with a 10-foot pole. Tax exemption for one so rich is appalling enough just to think of. It becomes even more obnoxious if put into effect.

Whatever billions Manny has earned and will continue to earn can never buy back honor and respect once they have flown. Manny, of all people, should be among the first to know that. If the character-building situations of having once been poor are still of any importance to Manny today, he should tell Koko, as a fellow legislator, to just shelve the measure. Nothing flies that is heavy with disconnect.

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