MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed 41 cases of tax evasion against two companies for allegedly using fake receipts to evade payment of taxes.
In partnership with the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), 37 cases were lodged before the Regional Trial Court (RTC) and Metropolitan Trial Court (MeTC) of Pasig against E.D. Buenviaje Builders Inc.
Forty-one cases were filed against Limhuaco Metal Industrial Inc. before the Malabon RTC and MeTC of Manila on Dec. 10.
The complaints against the firms and their corporate officers include violations of the Philippine tax law, in connection with Sections 253(d) and 256 of the amended National Internal Revenue Code of 1997.
The charges stemmed from the companies’ use of “ghost receipts,” which refer to fictitious transactions that buyers declare in their tax returns to fraudulently reduce tax liabilities.
The BIR previously filed charges against sellers of ghost receipts, including Decarich Supertrade Inc., Crazykitchen Foodtrade Corp., Buildforce Trading Inc., Redington Corp., Everpacific Inc. and Unimaker Enterprise Inc.
These entities were found to have no legitimate businesses and were created solely to issue fake receipts to other companies, enabling them to claim false deductions or expenses to illegally lower their tax dues.
The DOJ said the initiative targets not just the sellers of ghost receipts but also the businesses that utilize these.
“Let this be a warning to those who purposely betray public trust by defrauding the state of collecting tax dues,” Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said.
The crackdown is part of the BIR’s Run After Fake Transactions or RAFT program, which prosecutes both buyers and sellers of fake receipts.