IPINAGTANGGOL kahapon ni Pangulong Aquino ang naging aks-yon ni Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) Commissioner Kim Henares na i-freeze ang mga bank account ni boxing champ at Sarangani Rep. Manny “Pacman” Pacquaio kaugnay sa hindi binayarang buwis mula 2008 hanggang 2009 na aabot umano sa P2.2 bilyon.
Todo-tanggi rin siya na hina-harass ng kanyang administrasyon si Pacquiao. Ani Aquino, tumanggi si Pacquaio at ang kampo nito na sagutin ang mga pinadalang sulat ng BIR dalawang taon na ang nakararaan.
“Ang isyu ng BIR is he was asked two years ago and medyo parang, ang pagkaintindi ko, cavalier—‘yung hindi (siya) nagre-respond to legitimate summonses by the BIR,” aniya pa.
Humirit pa si Aquino ng, “Bakit siya iha-harrass? Saan ba logic noon?” habang pinunto na hindi lahat ng bank accounts ni Pacquiao ay na-freeze.
“I understand na parang the accounts total P1.1-million. What is that compared to all of his winnings?” giit pa ni Aquino.
Idinagdag niya na dapat patunayan ni Pacquiao na siya ay inosente sa tax evasion case na kinakaharap niya.
“With all due respect to Congressman Pacquiao, if he believes that he has complied with all the necessary rules and all the necessary laws, then I’m sure he has all the evidence,” paliwanag niya.
Pinaliwanag pa ni Aquino kay Pacquiao na magkaiba ang buwis na ipinapatupad sa US at sa Pilipinas. “So he earns abroad, he pays taxes there, ‘yung tax rate nila at tax rate natin magkaiba yata.
My understanding—I am not, of course, an expert on the Internal Revenue Code—but the bottom line is the difference ng tax rate natin at tax rate doon still has to be made up,” ayon pa kay Aquino.
Hindi rin pinaligtas ni Aquino ang mga miyembro ng media dahil sa sunud-sunod na batikos na natatanggap ng gob-yerno hinggil sa kaso ni Pacquiao.
“So the way to settle it is to answer all of these queries by the BIR and not to engage in a media war. The media will not decide who is right or wrong, ‘di ba?
It will be our courts eventually, if it gets to that, who will decide. But, again, the process has been two years,” sabi pa ni Aquino.
( Photo credit to INS )
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