Senate probers were asked to look into reports about fake cigarette-tax stamps alleged to have proliferated during the tenure of ex-Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) Commissioner Kim Jacinto-Henares.
In seeking an inquiry in aid of remedial legislation, Sen. Emmanuel D. Pacquiao cited reports that tobacco firms managed to dodge paying the right taxes by resorting to “fake-tax stamps” on cigarette packs. In an interview, Pacquiao told Senate reporters that Henares could be “held accountable” for the proliferation of fake-tax stamps during her watch.
“Maybe huge amounts of money were involved in this or massive corruption happened so this must be investigated,” he added.
Reports reaching the Senator indicated that BIR Commissioner Caesar R. Dulay was told that Mighty Corp. was “consulting a former top BIR official to help defend the cigarette company from tax-evasion charges.”
Earlier, Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III affirmed the Duterte administration’s commitment to run after tax evaders.
Mighty Corp. clarified that BIR devices used to scan tax stamps malfunctioned, resulting in erroneous reports that its products had fake tax seals.
“Mighty Corp. confirmed…the Bureau of Internal Revenue’s malfunctioning taggant excise stamp validating devices, which produced varying results when used today against its products that were seized in last Thursday’s unlawful raid in its warehouses in Pampanga,” officials of the cigarette firm said.
Mighty Corp.’s lawyer Sigfrid A. Fortun added the devices used by BIR examiners on the seized cigarette cartons registered a green light, indicating these were genuine stamps, but later registered red or bogus marks for stamps in the same carton.