MANILA, Philippines — Manila City Mayor and presidential candidate Isko Moreno's offensive against fellow bet Ferdinand Marcos Jr. continued Monday after his political party reached out to the Bureau of Internal Revenue to urge renewed written demands on the Marcos heirs to pay their tax liabilities.
In a letter addressed to BIR Commissioner Ceasar Dulay dated March 7 and sent to reporters Monday morning, Aksyon Demokratiko Chairman Ernest Ramel pointed out that Ferdinand Marcos Sr., the late ousted dictator, died on September 29, 1989, almost 32 years ago.
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“His heirs—widow Imelda, only son Ferdinand Jr. and daughters Imee and Irene did not file the estate tax return with the Bureau of Internal Revenue as required by law. Neither did they pay any estate tax,” he wrote.
“The BIR... must renew written demands on the Marcos heirs to pay these tax liabilities once every five years, otherwise they prescribe and become uncollectable. Past administrations under Presidents Ramos, Arroyo and Aquino have faithfully issued such written demands,” Ramel said.
Ramel said the Marcos family ignored all the notices sent by the BIR to pay estate tax amounting to P203.819 billion.
The Aksyon Demokratiko chair claimed that Marcos Jr. filed a petition before the Court of Appeals, which dismissed the petition on June 5, 1999 on the ground that the estate tax assessment of BIR — amounting to P23,293,607,638 — had already become final and unappealable. The Supreme Court would later affirm the Court of Appeals decision.
“As Chairman of the Aksyon Demokratiko, the political party of Manila Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso, I would like to inquire if the BIR under the Duterte administration has done the same,” he said.
"On behalf of all taxpayers and citizens of the Philippines, I would like to seek a reply to the simple question: Did the BIR under your watch sent a new written demand to the Marcos heirs regarding the P203 Billion which they owe the Filipino people,” Ramel’s letter concluded.
Moreno party takes aim at survey-leading Marcos
To recall, in a media briefing Thursday last week, Ramel said the Marcos family’s avoidance to pay the estate tax is a clear demonstration of “abuse of power, disregard for the laws enforced by the government and lack of respect to citizens who religiously pay their taxes imposed on them.”
“This kind of character and behavior should not be imitated and especially should not be elected as president,” Ramel told reporters in Filipino.
"If Marcos Jr. is really sincere in what he calls the ‘unity movement’, they should only pay the fixed tax that is now at P200-B. Mayor Isko has already said that the amount can be used to help Filipinos who have been hit hard by the pandemic."
Ramel also questioned Marcos Jr’s refusal to answer directly or squarely other issues hounding him which is seeking truth and answers.
“Our challenge to Marcos Jr. is for him to pay his obligation as per the judgment of the Supreme Court, answer certain questions which this candidate himself has repeatedly avoided to face in debates as to whether his goal is really unity," Ramel said.
"It is frightening to think that now that he is not president, he is ignoring the law, confronting and answering his alleged lies. What if he is elected?"
In response, lawyer Vic Rodriguez, Marcos' spokesperson, said that the estate tax owed by the Marcos family from 1982 to 1986 was still pending decision on the forfeiture of the properties used as basis for the tax.
Since the 1997 ruling by the Supreme Court, five administrations have been unable to collect the tax. Moreno has said he would go after the money but has not been able to give a plan on how to carry it out.