Sánchez: Revolutionary taxation or extortion?

THIS is as official as it can get, straight from the horse's mouth on "revolutionary taxation." The January 2003 issue of Ang Bayan came out with an article justifying "revolutionary taxation as a legitimate act of governance."

Ang Bayan is the official news organ of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Philippines. It provides news on the CPP's work as well as its analysis of and standpoint on current issues.

While the 2003 article is history, it belongs to the continuing past, as the Bacolod business community found out. The Inquirer featured a copy of the letters sent to some Bacolod businesses that bear the logo of the Boy Gatmaitan Command New People's Army Negros and were signed by a Ka Armando Magbanua of the regional taxation team of the National Democratic Front-Negros.

Senior Supt. Celestino Guara, Bacolod City police director, doubts that the letters were from NPA were authentic as they could also be the work of extortionists. So are the letters the real deal, or the work of plain criminal extortionists?

The letters informed recipients that the Regional Taxation Team under the people's revolutionary government is inviting the recipient businessman to negotiation talks with their official representative regarding his tax obligation.

"We are aware of the existence of your business operation and assets in the area covered by the authority of the People's Revolutionary Government based in the countryside. In this light the revolutionary government is exercising its right to demand from you a certain amount of tax which we determine based on our investigation," the letter states.

Compare the extortion letter's content with the Ang Bayan article. Let me quote verbatim:

"There is one revolutionary activity that the reactionary government feels acutely-and that is the imposition and collection of taxes on big foreign and comprador capitalist interests operating in areas covered by the revolutionary movement. ... By observing revolutionary laws on taxation, taxpayers recognize Red political power."

Pretty clear, I should think. The Boy Gatmaitan Command's letter is not merely a "fund raising" activity but supposedly a political act, an implied recognition of "Red political power." Talk about dual citizenship. Are we citizens of the Republic of the Philippines, or of the "Red" political power?"

The Ang Bayan article denies that "revolutionary taxation is not extortion nor is it a terrorist activity." It claims that it is a legitimate act and a right of the state of the people's democratic government. It is carried out wherever Red political power exists or can be made to exist."

In fact, our business community owes the Reds a debt of gratitude, if we are to believe Ang Bayan. The article treat them as "class enemies" and "revolutionary taxes" are "legitimate payment for privileges or concessions granted to them to conduct business or operate within the territories of the people's government."
The Reds put a new spin on the old saw "Nothing is for sure but death and taxes." They don't pay them their "taxes," and death is sure to follow for their "class enemies." It's either death to their lives or to their businesses.

We pay taxes to the government as citizens of the Republic of the Philippines. In return, we expect the State to provide us with protection from criminals.
But criminals can offer us "protection." Called a protection racket, it's a plain extortion scheme where syndicates coerce business to pay money, allegedly for protection services against external threats (usually violence or property damage, and often perpetrated by the racketeers themselves).

Guess what category can we place "revolutionary taxation?" Please email comments to bqsanc@yahoo.com