BIR Com. Henares meets by Rally in Pangasinan

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

CALASIAO – She should be here to inaugurate the new state-of-the art building of the Bureau of Internal Revenue but a rally from the four buses of protesters have shocked the wits out of her personnel.

RALLY VS. BIR. Hundreds of anxious members of Members Consumers Owners Association ( MCOA) -Panelco -3 staged a rally last Tuesay infront of the regional office of the Bureau of Internal Revenue in Calasiao, Pangasinan. They said they fear that darkness would dawn on them after the BIR sold in the auction sale the properties of the beleaguered Pangasinan Electric Cooperative (Panelco). Panelco has  back taxes of P400 million from the 12% Value Added Tax to the tax agency. MORTZ C. ORTIGOZA

According to Cris Perez, the leader of the Members Consumers Owners Association MCOA-Panelco -3, they appealed last December 15 to Commissioner Kim Henares to stop the auction sale of the properties of Panelco-3 that the BIR levied.

The properties of the besieged electric cooperative in Eastern Pangasinan have been attached in a court action after the management of Panelco did not pay the P400 million value added taxes for several years to the tax agency.

“Nandito po kami para sabihin kay Kim Henares itigil na po ang pagkamkam ng ari-ari-an ng Panelco-3 dahil kami po as consumer kami po ay apektado”.

Henares said that it was the right of the consumers of Panelco to rally in front of the Regional Office of the BIR here.

“Sinunod lang namin iyong process namin. May buwis na dapat bayaran dapat binabayaran po iyon. Dapat kinukekta po iyon. Kung tutuusin kinukulekta sa mga consumer merong VAT iyan”.

She said the attached properties like lands and buildings of the electric cooperative had passed scrutiny of her officials and they were assessed for the 12% value added tax.

“Bayaran noong taxpayer puweding ganito ang proceso, isa garnish kami, levy kami, file kami criminal case for failure to pay”.

It was reported earlier that tens of millions of pesos of Panelco-3’s deposit at Land Bank of the Philippines in Urdaneta City had been garnished months ago by Revenue District Office-6. RD0-6 chief Nasrollah Conding and Regional Director Arnel Gubala.

Panelco officials cried that these funds would be used as payroll for their employees and payment for the electricity Panelco bought from power providers.

Conding and Gubala have been mum to comment on the issues confronted by the beleaguered electric cooperative.

“You better interview Commisioner Henares, we are not allowed to speak on it, “Conding told this paper.

Henares denied that BIR has been extorting P10 million from the administration of Panelco so that the former would be easy on the latter.

“Extortion? Kung extortion e di hindi na namin ni-levy, e may assessment ho iyan, ano naman hong extortion doon?,” she posed.

She explained if Panelco paid the back taxes, BIR had not garnished, levied, and auctioned its properties.

Perez told this paper that they would again be protesting the BIR regional office here on December 19 – the Christmas party of the personnel of the tax agency.