TWO companies were separately slapped with multi-million peso tax evasion cases before the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Thursday.

The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) said Ortigas-based ePacific Global Contact Center, Inc. and its officers Rosendo Ballesteros (president) and Alfredo Miguel, Jr. (vice president) violated Section 255 in relation to Sections 253 and 256 of the Tax Code.

ePacific allegedly has a tax liability of P153.7 million in 2005, inclusive of surcharge and interest.

Also charged with the same violations were Energy Food Drinks, Inc. and its officers, Jaime Chua (president) and Renato Chua (senior vice president/treasurer).

Quezon City-based Energy Food Drinks is engaged in the importation of food products. Its tax deficiencies amounted to P59.43 million in 2008.

"The respondents' obstinate failure and continued refusal to pay their long overdue deficiency tax assessments, despite repeated demands, constitute willful failure to pay the taxes due to the government," the BIR said. (Sunnex)