Actor faces more raps over fake tax returns

MANILA, Philippines - Actor Richard Gutierrez was slapped with more criminal charges before the Department of Justice (DOJ) yesterday while facing the P38.57-million tax evasion case filed by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).

The BIR filed another complaint against the popular actor for falsification of public documents and perjury after allegedly submitting fake documents to the DOJ during preliminary investigation on the tax evasion charge last month.

In its complaint, the bureau specifically accused Gutierrez of “knowingly using and submitting falsified” annual income tax return of his company, R Gutz Production Corp., for 2012 and quarterly value-added tax returns for the second, third and fourth quarters of the same year.

The BIR also sought the indictment of Gutierrez for two counts of perjury under Article 183 of the Revised Penal Code for lying in his counter-affidavit.

Revenue District Office 42 in San Juan City and the BIR Quezon City’s document processing division certified that R Gutz “had no VAT returns filed for the 2nd, 3rd and 4th quarters of taxable year 2012,” the BIR alleged.