The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) will look into its employees amid allegations of a money-making scheme involving the issuance of Letters of Authority (LOA), Commissioner Charlito Mendoza said Thursday.
“Maliwanag po ang direktiba ng ating Pangulo, maging ng ating Secretary of Finance… na imbestigahan at panagutin kung meron mga kawani ng BIR na totoo ngang involve sa extortion or pang aabuso sa paggamit ng LOA,” he said in a briefing at the Justice Department.
(The directive of the President, and even our Secretary of Finance to investigate and hold accountable any BIR personnel truly involved in extortion or in abusing the use of the LOA is clear.)
He also encouraged the public to directly approach his office for their complaints.
“Kaya nga po pinapanawagan ko sa mga stakeholders natin, sa mga tax payers natin na nakaranas ng pang aabuso, panggigipit ng mga taga BIR na lumapit sa amin, sa akin mismo diretso, sa aking opisina para makapagbigay ng detalye,” he said.
(That’s why I’m calling on our stakeholders, our taxpayers who experienced abuse from BIR personnel, to come to us, directly to me, to my office, so they can provide details.)
This came after Senator Erwin Tulfo filed a resolution urging the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee to investigate the alleged scheme.
Mendoza said the bureau has suspended all field audits and related operations, including the issuance of LOAs and Mission Orders (MO).
Meanwhile, he stressed that LOAs are an essential part of the bureau’s process.
“Hindi po masama ang LOA. This is an essential enforcement tool of the BIR. Kailangan po natin ito upang malaman natin kung meron ba talagang tax evasion,” the commissioner said.
(There is nothing wrong with the LOA. This is an essential enforcement tool of the BIR. We need this so we can determine whether there is indeed tax evasion.)
Mendoza was at the Department of Justice (DOJ) to file tax evasion complaints against SYMS Construction Trading proprietor Sally Santos and IM Construction Corporation president Robert Imperio over ghost flood control projects in Bulacan. —VAL, GMA Integrated News
