DOJ files before CTA P73-M tax evasion cases vs 2 companies
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed before the Court of Tax Appeals (CTA) tax evasion cases involving P73 million against two firms on the use of receipts issued by alleged ghost companies.
In a statement on Friday, July 11, the DOJ said the 18 criminal cases were filed against E.D. Buenviaje Builders, Inc. and Synergy Sales International Corporation (SSIC) and the firms’ responsible officers.
It said there exists prima facie evidence with reasonable certainty of conviction to charge the two corporations and their responsible officers -- Ernesto S.D. Buenviaje and Ruselle Anne A. Buenviaje of E.D. Buenviaje, and Arthur See and Betty Lim See of SSIC.
It also said the cases are for violations of Sections 254 (Attempt to Evade or Defeat Tax) and 255 (Failure to Supply Correct and Accurate Information) of the National Internal Revenue Code (NIRC).
The filing of the cases was done after a preliminary investigation of the complaints filed by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).
The BIR accused the two firms of transacting with ghost companies Buildforce Trading, Inc. and Decarich Supertrade, Inc. to evade payment of correct taxes.
The DOJ said that Buildforce Trading, Inc. and Decarich Supertrade, Inc. have “no legitimate business activities” and were “merely created to issue fraudulent official receipts.”
The receipts, it said, “were used to substantiate fictitious claims and expense deductions to unlawfully reduce tax liabilities.”
In 2022, the DOJ filed criminal cases against Buildforce Trading, Inc. and Decarich Supertrade, Inc. as “ghost receipt syndicates.”