BIR shuts down soy factory over P40-million unpaid taxes

MANILA, Philippines - The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) temporarily shut down yesterday a factory in Pasig City for allegedly failing to pay P40 million in taxes.

Accompanied by local policemen and agents of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), BIR Commissioner Sixto Esquivias IV and regional district officer Rey Asterio Tambis padlocked the Charmy Food Philippines Inc. factory on Lope K. Santos street in Barangay San Joaquin.

Pasig City’s licensing office said Charmy Food had just renewed its business permit last Jan. 26, paying P19,006.70 for the first quarter.

Esquivias said the factory’s closure is part of the bureau’s “Oplan Kandado” program, which aims to shut down firms that deliberately do not file tax returns or issue invoices and those that understate their revenues.

Charmy Food – a local producer of soy milk drinks and other soy-based products like tofu for the past 12 years – will be temporarily closed for five days or until it pays its accumulated taxes.

The BIR personnel posted a streamer stating the firm’s temporary closure was based on violation of provisions under the Tax Code of 1997.  – Non Alquitran