2 PBA cagers face tax evasion cases

MANILA -- Two players from the multi-titled Talk 'N Text franchise in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) were slapped with tax evasion charges by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) before the Department of Justice on Thursday.

They are Jared Dillinger and team captain Jimmy Alapag, who have a combined tax liability of P31.23 million.

Based on the BIR's investigation, Alapag earned around P4 million from the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co., which runs Talk 'N Text owner Smart Communications, in 2007.

But Alapag allegedly failed to file his income tax returns for taxable years 2007 to 2010 and value added tax returns from 2007 to 2012.

The BIR computed Alapag's tax deficiency at P17.86 million for the seven-year period, inclusive of surcharge and interest.

BIR records show that Alapag earned P32.28 million from professional basketball.

Dillinger, on the other hand, has a tax deficiency at P13.37 million, including surcharge and interest, for failure to file his income tax returns from 2008 to 2011 and percentage tax return for 2008.

The BIR said he also failed to file his value added tax returns from 2009 to 2012.

From 2008, Dillinger's income with the PLDT rose from P694,000 to P6.48 million in 2012.

Overall, his income as ballplayer totalled P22.19 million last year.

Meanwhile, the BIR filed cases against a Malolos City-based bookkeeper Annalyn Forbes for unlawful pursuit of business and making it appear that she filed the tax returns of her clients.

The cases came after the BIR's system flagged two of her clients who were then informed by the BIR that they have failed to pay and file their taxes.

Forbes' clients, Jam Cris Trading Machine Surplus in Malolos and Circle A Grocer in Hagonoy, presented their records to the BIR together with their filed tax returns and machine validated receipts of their tax payments.

Initial verification and validation made by the BIR, however, show that the documents submitted were fake.

This prompted JamCris Trading Machine Surplus owner Jaime Crisostomo and Circle A Grocer owner Anita Bundoc-Esguerra to request the BIR to investigate the matter and they immediately settled their tax dues.

Forbes is not an accredited tax practitioner for the taxable years 2009 and 2010 during the period she provided accounting/bookkeeping services to Crisostomo. (Virgil Lopez/Sunnex)