THE BUREAU of Internal Revenue (BIR) has filed criminal cases against buyers and sellers of so-called “ghost” receipts that have cost the government tax losses worth P1.8 billion.
The agency said it filed 15 criminal cases before the Department of Justice on Wednesday. The cases involved a total of 69 corporations, corporate officers, and accountants.
“The sale and use of ghost receipts is a tax-evasion scheme of the highest order. The BIR is committed to filing civil and criminal charges against all corporations, corporate officers, and accountants involved in this syndicate. We are already preparing the next set of criminal cases,” BIR Commissioner Romeo D. Lumagui, Jr. said in a statement.
The BIR said that the buyers and sellers of fake receipts range from various industries such as construction and hardware, marketing of goods, equipment, office supplies, automotive oils, trading of metals, contractor electrical and mechanical systems, hotel, and food services. — Luisa Maria Jacinta C. Jocson
