BIR files multi-million tax evasion raps vs 2 GSIS execs

The Bureau of Internal Revenue on Thursday filed a tax evasion complaint against a former and an incumbent Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) board members who supposedly failed to declare their income and pay the proper amount of taxes. The BIR said former board member Esperanza Ocampo has an aggregate tax liability of P13.7 million, while that of incumbent board member Mario Ramirez amounts to P9.3 million. As of posting time, GMA News Online was still trying to reach GSIS Officer V Margie Jorillo, who is authorized to make a comment on the matter. Jorillo directly works under the office of GSIS president and general manager Robert Vergara. Taxable income At a news briefing, BIR Commissioner Kim Hacinto-Henares said that Ocampo received a taxable income of P27.7 million as GSIS board member. For his part, Ramirez received an P18.3 million taxable income. But upon verification from the the BIR's Returns Processing System, a computer system, it was revealed that Ocampo failed to declare her income from 2004 to 2010, while Ramirez failed to declare his from 2008 to 2010. "It's in the system. So I hope everyone would do the right thing, report the right income sales revenue and expenses. Because sooner or later, we will be able to detect it," Henares said. She added that the BIR's inquiry also stemmed from the Senate finance committee's investigation into the allegedly fat bonuses and perks received by officials of Government-Owned and -Controlled Corporations (GOCCs) like GSIS. — RSJ, GMA News