煙草在線據(jù)ABS-CBN廣播報道編譯 煙草巨頭菲莫福川煙草公司表示,如果國內(nèi)稅務(wù)局(BIR)派第三方對所有卷煙制造企業(yè)進(jìn)行每周7天,每天24小時的檢查,那么其競爭對手Mighty公司涉嫌逃稅的情況就可以被迅速制止。
菲莫福川公司幾個月以來一直在說,Mighty公司生產(chǎn)和銷售了比其宣稱的更多的卷煙,使其能夠以低于菲莫公司的價格進(jìn)行銷售,并導(dǎo)致了數(shù)十億比索的稅收損失。
“如果有政治意愿這樣做的話,那么下周就可以解決這個問題,”菲莫福川煙草公司的合伙人LT集團(tuán)的總裁邁克爾·陳在該集團(tuán)6月9日的股東大會上說。
陳說,雖然公司了解要調(diào)查過去的逃稅事件需要時間,但按照公司的提議,卻可以很快并且大大減少目前和未來的逃稅情況。
陳說,財政部已責(zé)成國內(nèi)稅務(wù)局和海關(guān)局采取行動。海關(guān)已封鎖了Mighty公司的一個倉庫。
國內(nèi)稅務(wù)局專員金·埃納雷斯表示,自去年以來,稅務(wù)局已部署了檢查人員對卷煙公司進(jìn)行全天候的監(jiān)控。
她說,國內(nèi)稅務(wù)局不能聘請第三方調(diào)查員,因為這將違反稅法。
“國家稅收法律規(guī)定,只有稅務(wù)專員和官員,可以參與消費(fèi)稅的職能,并且進(jìn)行監(jiān)管,所以我們不能有第三方(調(diào)查員),”她說。
埃納雷斯說,菲莫的指控有“很多問題”,并指出,稅務(wù)機(jī)關(guān)將不會立案,除非它有足夠的證據(jù)。
“我們的原則是,沒有有力的證據(jù),我們不會公布并且錯誤地指控別人。例如,當(dāng)我在這里開始我的工作,人們告訴我去做的第一件事是什么?‘調(diào)查陳永栽和他的公司。’但我的立場是,你不能沒有證據(jù)就去跟蹤他們。我們必須進(jìn)行評估,但我們不能告訴別人,但是要提起刑事案件,你必須有證據(jù),”埃納雷斯說。
“我不允許我的辦公室成為一家公司用來與另一家公司進(jìn)行競爭的工具。我唯一的職責(zé)是收取正確的稅收,”她補(bǔ)充說。
Philip Morris Fortune Tobacco Presses BIR to Stop Tax Evasion By Rival Tobacco Firm
Tobacco giant Philip Morris Fortune Tobacco said alleged tax evasion by its competitor Mighty Corp. can be stopped quickly if the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) puts third-party, 24/7 inspectors in all cigarette manufacturing companies.
Philip Morris has, for months, been saying that Mighty has been producing and selling more cigarettes than it declares, allowing it to undercut Philip Morris on prices and resulting in billions of pesos of lost tax revenue.
"It can be solved next week if there is political will to do so," said Michael Tan, president of LT Group, part owner of Philip Morris Fortune Tobacco, at the LT Group stockholders meeting on Monday.
Tan said while the company understands past tax evasion takes time to investigate, current and future tax evasion can be quickly and vastly reduced with its proposal.
Tan said the Department of Finance has instructed the BIR and Bureau of Customs to take action. The Customs has padlocked a Mighty Corp. warehouse.
BIR Commissioner Kim Henares, meanwhile, said the tax agency has deployed 24/7 inspectors to monitor cigarette firms since last year.
She said the BIR cannot hire third-party inspectors as it will violate the tax code.
"The National Revenue Code said that it's only the commissioner and the officers who can be involved in excise tax functions and doing functions of surveillance, so we cannot have third party (inspectors)," she told ANC.
Henares said there "are a lot of questions" in the allegations of Philip Morris, noting that the tax agency will not file a case unless it has sufficient evidence.
"Our rule is that we do not go out and falsely accuse people without strong evidence. For example, when I started my position here, what's the first thing that people told me to do? 'Go after Lucio Tan and his company.' But my position is you cannot just go after them without evidence. We have assessments which we cannot tell people, but to file a criminal case, you have to have evidence," said Henares.
"I do not allow my office to be used as an instrument for another company to compete with another company. My only loyalty is that I should collect the correct tax," she added. Enditem
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