The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) on Thursday filed tax-evasion cases against former trustees of the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), the pension fund for government workers, after failing to file income-tax returns (ITRs) for several years.

The BIR also filed a case against a telecommunications trader based in Urdaneta City, Pangasinan, who allegedly underdeclared its income in 2007 and 2008. 

BIR Commissioner Kim Henares said former GSIS trustees Esperanza Ocampo and Mario Ramirez earned P27.4 million and P18.3 million, respectively.  

Ocampo did not file ITRs for the taxable years 2004 to 2010 when she earned a total of P27.4 million from the GSIS, according to the BIR, which estimated her tax liability at P13.78 million, inclusive of surcharge and interest.

Ramirez did not file ITRs from 2008 to 2010 when he earned P18.3 million, with an estimated tax liability of around P9.37 million, the BIR said.

Ocampo was appointed to the GSIS board as a representative of government employees, while Ramirez was appointed as representative of public-school teachers.

The two officials were among the subjects of the recent hearing of the Senate Committee on Finance on the excessive bonuses and allowances of government-owned and -controlled corporations.

The BIR said it secured certifications from the GSIS on the income of its board of trustees over a certain period.

The BIR also filed a case against Danilo Robles of Urdaneta City for his “deliberate failure” to file income and value-added tax (VAT) returns in 2007 and 2008, and for failing to register as VAT taxpayer.

The BIR estimates Robles’s tax due at P162.71 million.

BIR regional director Arnel SD Guballa said Robles, a resident of Doña Loleng Village, Urdaneta City, Pangasinan, was engaged in the business of buying and selling cellular phones, simpacks, e-load and prepaid cards under the trade name Robles Merchandising.

“He registered with the BIR as a taxpayer subject to percentage tax,” Guballa said.

An investigation conducted by the BIR showed that Robles under-declared his income and purchases for the first quarter of 2007 and failed to report the rest of his income for 2007 and his entire income for 2008.

Based on certifications issued by both Pilipino Telephone Corp. and Smart Communications Inc., Robles made purchases amounting to P332.437 million in 2007 and P164.15 million in 2008.

Guballa said its records also showed that Robles has a “stop-filer” status with them, since he only filed his first-quarter ITR for 2007, when he declared an income of P680,000 and then failed to file his ITRs for the rest of 2007 and the entire 2008, despite the continuation of his business operations.

“Robles also did not file his ending inventory lists for the two-year period,” he said.

BIR estimates were that Robles underdeclared his sales by P357.43 million and P164.15 million in 2007 and 2008, respectively, based on the certifications from the telecommunications firms.

Robles also failed to register as a VAT taxpayer, a requirement for those who have gross sales exceeding P1.5 million. Based on his initial purchases in January 2007, he spent P21.1 million worth of goods.