THE incoming head of the Bureau of Internal Revenue yesterday said she will review the estimated P203-billion estate tax supposedly owed by the Marcos family, and vowed to ensure its collection as soon as she gets all details.
Commissioner Lilia Guillermo, in interviews with CNN Philippines and ABS CBN News Channel, said she has yet to see documents on the tax case including the exact amount involved, if the court’s decision is indeed final and executory, and if collection has started.
“Kung final and executory… then it is the mandate of BIR to collect, isa iyan sa mandato ng BIR, collection enforcement,” she said
She said she has requested documents on the estate tax case from outgoing BIR Commissioner Cesar Dulay.
The Supreme Court in 1997 ordered the Marcos estate to pay P23 billion in estate tax. The order became final and executory on March 9, 1999 and the amount has reportedly reached around P203 billion, including penalties and surcharges.
Guillermo said if the estate cannot pay in cash, properties will have to be converted to cash.
She said the collection of the Marcos’ estate taxes will be a boost to the government which is already facing around P13 trillion in debt.
“Please give me time to look at the documents. How much are we talking about? I don’t know if it’s really P200 billion. If that is really the amount, imagine, it will really help collections of BIR,” she added.
Guillermo said once she has the details, she and Benjamin Diokno, outgoing governor of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and incoming finance secretary, will talk to incoming President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. about it and ask him and his family to be the role model for tax payments.
She said they will explain to Marcos that he is not paying the taxes himself but the Marcos estate will.
She added she will ask the incoming president, “Can you be a role model?” and to comply with the law.
Guillermo expressed belief that Diokno, who recommended her for the post, shares her stand on the collection of the estate tax.
Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III said the BIR will succeed in collecting the unsettled Marcos estate tax “only if the other party cooperates and pays.”
“Start with the principal or the uncontested amount. P23B?” Pimentel said.
Pimentel said the public should first let Guillermo sit as BIR commissioner to “give her some time to act.”
“Media should keep pressuring her about this issue but in the meantime give her some time to act. Let us first wait for her to assume her position as BIR commissioner. Then monitor her actions,” he added.
Marcos will take his oath as 17 president of the country on June 30.
INAUGURATION PREPS
PNP officer-in-charge Lt. Gen. Vicente Danao Jr said security preparation for the inauguration is “almost 98 percent done.”
Only barriers that will be put up by the Department of Public Works and Highways for crowd control are lacking, he said.
“We are almost all systems go,” Danao told reporters after inspecting the preparations at the National Museum in Ermita, Manila.
Danao said some 7,000 policemen will be deployed to secure the inauguration, from about 6,200 earlier announced by PNP spokeswoman Col. Jean Fajardo.
Danao said security measures will be “very strict.”
As to possible security threats, Danao said, “Were received reports about lightning rallies and rallies and everywhere.”
He reiterated his appeal to protesters to avoid going near the inauguration site. Officials have said protests are allowed only at freedom parks.
In the event violence erupts, Danao said the PNP has “contingency” measures” in place. — With Raymond Africa and Victor Reyes
