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THE head of One Stop Shop inter-agency Tax Credit and Duty Drawback
Center (OSS) resigned Friday, a day after the Bureau of Internal
Revenue (BIR) filed tax evasion cases in connection with the
fraudulent acquisition and sale of fake tax credit certificates.
The Department of Finance OSS handles the sale
of tax credit certificates.
Government sources said the resignation of
Ernesto Hiansen, OSS executive director, was supposed to take effect
Friday. But as of that date, Malacañang had yet to announce
Hiansen’s resignation and his replacement.
The sources said Hiansen, who has been with
Finance for 10 years, is waiting for the official announcement of
President Gloria Arroyo before speaking about his sudden
resignation.
On Thursday, the BIR filed before the Department
of Justice (DOJ) 11 tax evasion cases, including 10 cases against
businessman Faustino Chingkoe, his wife Gloria, over fraudulent
acquisition and sale of fake TCCs.
BIR said they have uncovered the involvement of
four of Chingkoe’s 11 companies linked to the P5.3-billion tax
credit scam.
The combined amount involved in all the 11 tax
cases, or the possible total revenue loses incurred by the
government from the illegal acts, was placed at P116 million.
In December the past year, the DOJ found merit
in the BIR’s case against the Chingkoe couple when their garments
firm, Diamond Knitting Corp., allegedly failed to pay income tax on
the sale of TCCs to Petron Corp., reportedly earning for the firm
some P104 million.
A TCC serves as a company’s claim for tax
credits, which are given to firms that import raw materials for
processing and export the finished products. Holders may use TCCs in
paying taxes or sell them at a discount. Fraud is committed when
companies acquire the TCCs illegally, or when companies not entitled
to TCCs use them.
-- Chino S. Leyco
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