This is simply mind-boggling.
“Mayor Joseph Estrada revealed that the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) is asking the Manila city government to pay PHP684 million in back taxes since 2007, left behind by then mayor Alfredo Lim,” reports Jose Rodel Clapano in The Philippine Star.
Estrada explained that the BIR sent his office a letter dated April 3 informing him that the city government has tax liabilities.
The so-called tax tab covered the period from 2007 to April 15 this year and had the grand total of PHP684,418,057.76. That includes interest.
Estrada was quoted as saying, “I inherited a bankrupt city government. All the computers were also destroyed by my predecessor. There is an intention to hide. The city government cannot automatically pay its tax liabilities. I have asked the BIR to give us at least six months to pay the city government tax liabilities that was left by my predecessor.”
