Tsinoy businessmen cry foul over ‘tax cheat’ tag

MANILA, Philippines - A group of Filipino-Chinese businessmen cried foul yesterday over President Aquino’s statement branding some of their colleagues as tax delinquents.

Rosendo So, president of Rosales-Eastern Pangasinan-Filipino Chinese Chamber of Commerce (FCCC), disputed the President’s claim that many of them do not pay taxes correctly.

“It’s unfair for President Aquino to say we do not pay taxes. Our members pay their taxes diligently and correctly as part of their conscious responsibility in helping the government fund programs and projects to alleviate poverty,” So told reporters in Manila.

He said the top 100 individual and corporate taxpayers in their province are mostly members of their chamber.

The businessman, whose group is a member of the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry Inc. (FFCCCII), said many of his fellow Fil-Chinese businessmen were offended by the President’s pronouncement.

He said some officers of their organization do not pay taxes because they are retired or 60 to 70 years old, and have passed on the management of their business to their children.

So admitted he was surprised by the President’s speech delivered before the FFCCCII’s national officials, whom he said religiously carry out civic-oriented programs.

In fact, he said, the FFCCCII has built two-classroom buildings at a cost of only P400,000 compared to the P1.4 million that the Departments of Education, Public Works and Highways, and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation spent for the same project.

Still, So said their chamber will continue to support the programs of FFCCCII, whose president Tan Ching vowed to continue policing their own ranks.

Tan also called on his fellow Filipino-Chinese entrepreneurs to pay their taxes correctly and diligently.

The FFCCCII made this pronouncement following the challenge posed by President Aquino during their 29th biennial convention last Friday.

The President said the government would not think twice in going after delinquent businessmen who evade paying the right taxes.