BIR sues Korean comedian for failing to pay tax

MANILA, Philippines - The Bureau of  Internal Revenue  on Thursday sued television personality Ryan Bang  for tax evasion for his alleged liabilities amounting to P1.82 million.

In a statement, the BIR said the ABS-CBN talent failed to file his income tax, percentage tax and value added tax returns.

Bang failed to register with the BIR and pay corresponding taxes as well as surcharges and interests for earning P993,451 in 2010 and P2.06 million in 2011, the bureau said.

The criminal complaint against Bang, who became popular through the reality show Pinoy Big Brother:Teen Clash of 2010, was filed before the Department of Justice for such "willful failure" in violation of Sections 254, 255 and 275 of the National Revenue Code of 1997.

He was subsequently issued a letter of authority or court warrant to allow the bureau to further examine his books of accounts and internal revenue records for the last three quarters of 2010 and the first and fourth quarters of 2011.

Documents obtained by the BIR showed the actor, whose real name is Hyun Sung Bang, obtained a bulk of his income from the television network while small percentages came from his stints with Summit Publishing, ABS-CBN Film Production Inc., and Studio 23 Inc.

Bang hosted the now defunct show 3ow Powhz! on Studio 23 in 2010 and starred in the romantic comedy film Every Breath U Take in 2012.