NEWS: Tax evasion case filed vs dealer of luxury cars

[shakatak70]

what do you mean mistaken identity sir?

http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquirer...ken-identities

Theres The Rub
Mistaken identities


By Conrado de Quiros
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 22:49:00 08/17/2010

Filed Under: State Budget & Taxes, Government offices & agencies


ONE BLOG writer typified the public’s anger at P-Noy’s exposé of the pawnshop owner with the Lamborghini in this way (translated from the Tagalog): “What a jerk that pawnshop tycoon is, asserting that he hasn’t paid tax because he has closed shop! Here in Cagayan the Villarica pawnshop is positively flourishing. Even the small farmer who sells clumps of labong or saluyot pays tax at the municipal hall, and this billionaire refuses to pay his!”

Another blog writer wrote: “This pawnshop tycoon managed to escape the scrutiny of Forbes Magazine’s wealthiest list but not President Noynoy Aquino’s BIR Commissioner Kim Jacinto Henares. He became the first target of a tax evasion case under the new government’s anti-corruption drive. This writer’s research showed that there are now over 350 branches of Villarica pawnshops nationwide.”

I sympathized with them, feeling raw myself at the thought that the Inquirer withholds 15 percent of my hard-earned pay (try writing brilliant columns four times a week if you don’t think it’s hard-earned) and having my hands full maintaining a 10-year-old car while this guy gets to ride into the sunset with a Lamborghini and probably a pretty girl in one arm. “Villarica,” if I recall my Spanish, means rich house. That’s one very rich house, I thought, and a most untaxed one. Until this guy, Henry Villarica, begged to meet with me through a friend, asking for a fair hearing.

As it turned out, he begged right. He has been treated unfairly.

It’s a horrendous case of mistaken identities.

In fact, the person who has not been paying taxes for his business since 2002 is William Villarica, who owns the W. Villarica Pawnshop, not Henry Villarica, his brother, who owns the Villarica Pawnshop, the one with hundreds of branches.

The story of these pawnshops is this: The original was put up in 1954 by Paz Villarica, a jeweler from Meycauayan. After she died in 1980, she left the business to her children, Henry, Shirley and William. Shirley and William eventually sold their shares to Henry, Shirley leaving for the United States and William deciding to put up his own, W. Villarica Pawnshop. Henry held on to the original, Villarica Pawnshop, expanding operations to become more competitive.

The BIR’s exposé was wrong on two counts. One is that the reason William has not been paying tax on his business since 2002 is that his business closed in 2002. Or so he claims. He claims as well that he bought the Lamborghini with his inheritance and from his income from various businesses. He is, after all, a rich man. You may question his profligacy, but not his legality.

Two is that the wrong person is now suffering the consequences of the exposé. William Villarica has nothing to do with Villarica Pawnshop, Henry Villarica has everything to do with it. That pawnshop now has 401 branches nationwide. He takes pride in saying he has adopted liberal policies, including waiving service fees. More to the point, he takes pride in saying he has religiously paid his taxes all these years.

Henry Villarica was in the Batasan with his wife, Linabelle, who is the 4th district representative of Bulacan, when P-Noy delivered his Sona. “You can imagine the mortification we felt when P-Noy said, ‘Mahiya-hiya naman kayo,’ and everybody looked at us. To this day, I cannot go anywhere without feeling that people are snickering behind my back.”
Beyond the personal, there is the business. The impact of the exposé was immediate. Operations took a hit. Some customers rushed off to redeem their valuables, worrying (they expressly told the cashiers) that the BIR may soon board up the pawnshop. The write-ups in media and the blogs have not helped, pinning down Villarica Pawnshop, the one with the “more than 350 branches nationwide,” as the above item puts it, as the culprit, the tax cheat, the corrupt that makes the country mahirap.

It’s easy to make mistakes, it’s hard to correct them. It’s the BIR that created the confusion, it’s the BIR that should make the clarification. The burden should be on its part. It can’t hurt as well for P-Noy himself to apologize for the mistake. It takes a big person to admit having made one. It takes a small person not to. Look at what GMA did to Acsa Ramirez. She accused her publicly wrongly of a crime, and after being apprised of her mistake stuck by it. Thereby making Ramirez go through hell, a thing Arroyo has not apologized for to this day. That is just being small, small, small.

Look at it this way: Whatever embarrassment Kim Henares and P-Noy might feel at admitting they were wrong will be nothing compared to what the Villaricas now feel at having been wronged.

Padalos-dalos kasi si ate Kim....papasikat baga kay Pnoy...na di pinag-aaralan mga hakbang niya... sayang..sayang

[uls]

It is not too hard to open a bank account outside the country, like in Hong Kong.

This would help keep it from the prying eyes of the BIR, unfortunately...

that's exactly what rich people here do

most of them maintain bank accounts in HK, Singapore, US

most of them have money in Citi, JP Morgan etc

kaya muntik na sila ma-heart attack noong 2008

it was a very scary time for them

[vito corleone]

everyone who owns a supercar (or selling supercars) will be presumed guilty of tax evasion

what's next?

the govt will investigate everyone who buys a house or condo worth more than X amount?

if the govt is assuming everyone who can afford to spend X amount of money is a tax evader, then the govt should request customer information from all car dealers, real estate developers, jewelry shops, etc

that will drive the rich into low profile spending mode

and kill the high end consumer market

ok lang naman for those rich people who spend on super luxurious items and pay the appropriate taxes. . .this should not stop them from enjoying their wealth since wala naman silang itinatago

[wowiesy]

http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquirer...ken-identities



Padalos-dalos kasi si ate Kim....papasikat baga kay Pnoy...na di pinag-aaralan mga hakbang niya... sayang..sayang

I don't suppose PNoy would really apologize, or even Ms. Kim for that matter.. they are so hell bent on showing an example to the people... maybe, mag apologize sila but definitely not in public.. hihina kasi ang campaign nila if they do so, although it makes them (govt, PNoy, Kim) more statesmen if they do so...

[wowiesy]

The government is looking too far.

They should try checking the senators, councilors and congressmen (and ex-senators, ex-councilors & ex-congressmen) on how these people suddenly gained 100,000% of their wealth compared to before they entered politics.

They can start with Congresswoman Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. :justice:

This I have to see... bakit nga kapag political figure hindi tinitira ng BIR? Showbiz at athlete yes tinitira for the media mileage (to set an example?) and yet mga pulitiko, say even for local executives.. hindi nila tinitira? bakit??

makes me think na tama yung ginawa ni Manny Pacquiao na tumakbo ng congress... para mapruteksyunan nya assets nya..

hindi malinaw evidence? and yet pag private person / individual kahit hindi malinaw evidence titirahin nila ? (as in the case of Villarica Pawnshop)...

[reaper629]

This I have to see... bakit nga kapag political figure hindi tinitira ng BIR? Showbiz at athlete yes tinitira for the media mileage (to set an example?) and yet mga pulitiko, say even for local executives.. hindi nila tinitira? bakit??

makes me think na tama yung ginawa ni Manny Pacquiao na tumakbo ng congress... para mapruteksyunan nya assets nya..

hindi malinaw evidence? and yet pag private person / individual kahit hindi malinaw evidence titirahin nila ? (as in the case of Villarica Pawnshop)...

+1^
Pag mga bigtime na Politiko na ang tinitira nila, un siguro ang magsasabi na seryoso talaga sila sa gusto nila, daming politiko dyan na nag iismuggle un dapat unahin nila

[oliver1013]

Onga naman, although commendable yung ginagawa nila, mas ok sana kung tipong Singson clan ng ilocos sur ang maimbistigahan nila