Isko's party seeks PCGG clarification on Marcos family's unpaid estate taxes
MANILA, Philippines — The political party of Manila City Mayor Isko Moreno pressed the agency created to recover ill-gotten wealth from the Marcoses and their cronies for clarification on the claim of the camp of former Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. that the issue on a supposed P203-billion tax liability of the Marcos heirs is covered by an agreement with the PCGG and Bureau of Internal Revenue.
Moreno is running for president under the Aksyon Demokratiko party.
In a letter addressed to Presidential Commission on Good Government Chairman John Agbayani, Aksyon Demokratiko Chairman Ernest Ramel sought clarification on the statement of lawyer Vic Rodriguez, spokesman for Marcos Jr., on the supposed agreement between the BIR and the PCGG regarding estate taxes.
"As a taxpayer and a citizen of the Republic, I now ask you, the PCGG Chairman, if there is an iota of truth to the statement of [Attorney] Rodriguez," Ramel said in his letter. "The question is very simple, answerable by ‘Yes’ or ‘No.’ Did the PCGG and BIR have an agreement regarding the P203-Billion Marcos debt to the Filipino people?"
Rodriguez has said that the properties are still under litigation and so collection of the estate tax has been put on hold. He said the agencies have agreed to wait for a court decision "before any collection enforcement activities and to establish ownership of the subject properties with certainty to determine with accuracy the fair and just tax base to be used in computing estate taxes, if any."
It's another haymaker by Moreno's political party after the latter hurled accusations against Marcos in early March, casting doubt over his educational attainment, track record, and tax history. Aksyon Demokratiko has also reached out to the Bureau of Internal Revenue to urge renewed written demands on the Marcos heirs to pay their tax liabilities.
This comes after lawyer Vic Rodriguez, Marcos' spokesperson said in response to the party's communication to the BIR that the estate tax owed by the Marcos family from 1982 to 1986 was still pending decision on the forfeiture of the properties used as basis for the tax.
He claimed then that "even BIR and the PCGG have arrived at an agreement for the BIR to wait for the decision on the said case before any collection enforcement activities and to establish ownership of the subject properties with certainty to determine with accuracy the fair and just tax base to be used in computing estate taxes.”
But Ramel on Thursday pointed out that if there is indeed such an agreement, then Agbayani has to disclose its details since the issue is a “matter of public interest.”
“If your answer is 'No,' then this is another proof that the camp of Marcos Jr. has again lied as they always do in so many issues about their family, including their ill-gotten wealth,” Ramel pointed out.
"The aggregate amount of P203.819 billion, which the Marcos heirs owe the Filipino people, is such a big amount that Mayor Isko, if elected president, promised to give the money as 'ayuda' to millions of our countrymen who lost their jobs during the pandemic," the Aksyon Demokratiko chair told the PCGG.
Moreno camp takes aim at Marcos
To recall, Ramel earlier wrote BIR Commissioner Caesar Dulay asking him if his office has sent a new written demand to the Marcos heirs regarding the P203-Billion which they owe the Philippine government.
In that letter, Ramel pointed out that former President Ferdinand Marcos died on Sept. 29, 1989, almost 32 years ago. "His heirs — widow Imelda, only son Ferdinand Jr. and daughters Imee and Irene did not file the estate tax return with the Bureau of Internal Revenue as required by law. Neither did they pay any estate tax,” he wrote.
According to the Moreno camp, the Marcos heirs ignored all the notices sent by the BIR. Marcos Jr. filed a petition before the Court of Appeals, which dismissed said petition on June 5, 1999 on the ground that the estate tax assessment of BIR (amounting to P23,293,607,638) had already become final and unappealable.
The Supreme Court would later affirm the Court of Appeals decision.
"The BIR, which you now head, must renew written demands on the Marcos heirs to pay these tax liabilities once every five years, otherwise they prescribe and become uncollectable. Past administrations under Presidents Ramos, Arroyo and Aquino have faithfully issued such written demands," Ramel wrote the BIR Commissioner.
Ramel had said the Marcos family’s avoidance to pay the estate tax is a clear demonstration of “abuse of power, disregard for the laws enforced by the government and lack of respect to citizens who religiously pay their taxes imposed on them.”
Since the 1997 ruling by the Supreme Court, five administrations have been unable to collect the tax. Moreno has said he would go after the money but has not been able to give a plan on how to carry it out. — Franco Luna
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