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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider DOJ files before CTA tax evasion cases vs construction firm, corporate officers

DOJ files before CTA tax evasion cases vs construction firm, corporate officers

Published Feb 27, 2025 06:57 am

The Department of Justice (DOJ) filed with the Court of Tax Appeals (CTA) tax evasion charges against a construction firm and its corporate officers and also sought payment of more than P176 million in alleged tax liabilities for "use of ghost receipts."

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin C. Remulla said the eight counts of tax evasion charges were filed against Hilmarc Construction Corporation, a government contractor, and its corporate officers Efren M. Canlas, Robert B. Henson, and Cristina Elisse F. Canlas.

The firm and its officers were charged with violations of Sections 254 (Attempt to Evade or Defeat Tax) and 255 (Failure to Supply Correct and Accurate Information) in relation to Sections 253(d) and 256 of the Tax Code,the DOJ said in a statement issued on Thursday, Feb. 27.

"Ghost receipts should have no place in the commerce of man as it hinders our growth and prosperity as a nation. May this filing of cases be a warning to those who continue to defraud the State of its due,” Remulla said.

“More importantly, this is also a perfect opportunity to emphasize that government contractors are not in any way exempt from faithfully complying with their tax obligations,” he stressed.

He reminded government contractors “the State expects from them, more than anyone else, the highest quality of diligence in following tax laws.”

In filing the cases in court, the DOJ said that “Hilmarc's made it appear that the fraudulent receipts/invoices issued by Ghost Companies (Unimaker Enterprises, Inc. and Everpacific Incorporated) came from legitimate transactions.”

“Consequently, the said fraudulent receipts/invoices were used to claim input tax in its VAT (Value Added Tax) Returns and as an expense in its Income Tax Returns filed with the BIR (Bureau of Internal Revenue),” it added.

It lamented that the scheme “ultimately had a negative impact on the tax collection of the BIR.”

“Taken as a whole, this fraudulent act of using receipts from fake transactions resulted to billions of losses to the government,” it pointed out.

The DOJ said the cases stemmed from “the complaint of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) pursuant to its tireless and intensified commitment to eradicating fictitious and anomalous transactions using ghost/fake receipts.”

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