BIR quotes Bible to Pacman: Give to Caesar...

MANILA, Philippines - “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”

This verse from the Bible – the book of Mathew in the New Testament – was read by Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) director for Region 8 Rozil Lozares to boxing champion Manny Pacquiao after filing charges against him for failure to submit his tax records.

A report by ABS-CBNnews.com said the BIR has noted that the boxer’s huge tax payments dropped from over P100 million in 2008 to only P7 million in 2009.

But Pacquiao, recently appointed by the Catholic Church as Bible ambassador to promote the “Words of God,” insisted that he had already fulfilled his tax obligations.

“The Pharisee asked Jesus if he should pay taxes to Caesar. Jesus took a coin and asked the Pharisee whose face was on it. He replied, ‘Caesar’s’. Then Jesus said ‘Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s’,” Lozares said in Filipino.

BIR chief Kim Henares earlier confirmed over dzMM radio that Pacquiao’s tax payments indeed fell sharply.

However, the eight-division champion explained that he had already paid his taxes in the US with regard to his fight in that country.

“If my income has been taxed in the US, it is not necessary that I pay taxes here,” he told ABS-CBNnews.com in Filipino.

“ Only the money that I earn in the Philippines, that’s what they can tax,” he said.

“I told them, if they tax me in America and they tax me here, that’s double taxation. We have a law on double taxation,” he added.

But Lozares told the pound-for-pound champion to submit his tax records, and the BIR would give him tax credits.

“What will happen is tax credit – we will deduct whatever he has paid. But he has not yet submitted proof that he had really paid his taxes,” Lozares countered.