DOF seeks resolution of 600 tax, smuggling cases at DOJ

MANILA, Philippines – With only a few months left in the Aquino administration, the Department of Finance (DOF) is seeking fast resolution of more than 600 tax evasion and smuggling cases it has filed with the Department of Justice (DOJ).

In an interview last Thursday, Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima told The STAR he will “meet with the DOJ” to follow up on the cases filed under his department’s flagship Run After Tax Evaders (RATE) and Run After The Smugglers (RATS) programs.

The meeting, which was supposedly held Friday, will be between Purisima and newly-appointed Justice Secretary Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa. Details on the outcome of the meeting were not available as of press time.

Launched in July 2010, RATE and RATS are bi-weekly filing of cases by the Bureaus of Internal Revenue (BIR) and Customs in a bid to deter tax evasion and smuggling to help raise state revenues.

As of the third quarter this year, 397 RATE cases and 210 RATS cases have been filed and are at different status of development, DOF data showed. The cases have a combined worth of P129.56 billion.

Asked if the weekly filing of cases had been effective on deterring smugglers and tax evaders, Purisima said: “It has been effective, but it can stand improvement if we can work with the Judiciary so that we can cut short the process of filing cases.”

He admitted that due process has gone in the way, especially since “we do not have control” with the judicial process. At the DOJ level, Purisima said prosecutors handling these cases may not have the expertise to tackle them.

“It can improve If we can work with Congress so that we can cut short the process of filing cases by allowing BIR and the Bureau of Customs to file directly with the courts,” he said.