The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has started reviewing the estate tax liabilities of the late President Marcos even as it expresses some misgivings about the controversy.
"It is a very old case which should have been resolved a long time ago," new BIR Commissioner Lilia C. Guillermo told tax officials in a zoom conference.
Guillermo said she does know yet how much the late President owed the government, but said: "We must be careful in resolving it."
Former and present tax fraud officials, who declined to be named, agreed with the BIR chief observation, saying the high tribunal decision issued on June 5, 1997 validated only the 30 warrants of distraint and levy issued by the BIR.
It did not touch, they said, the actual deficiency assessment which started at P2.3 billion and ballooned to P23 billion due to the 20 percent yearly interest.