How Marcos Jr.'s BIR Chief Plans to Handle Tax Dues of Father's Estate
The incoming chief of the Bureau of Internal Revenue on Wednesday said she would urge President-elect Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. to be a "role model" for the public once the agency needs to collect his family's estate tax dues.
Lilia Guillermo, whom Marcos designated as the next BIR commissioner, said she has yet to see the court documents ordering the Marcos family to pay their estate tax dues, reportedly amounting to P203 billion.
The Supreme Court ruling ordering the payment of these tax liabilities became final and executory as early as March 1999.
READ: Why Did BIR 'Fail' to Collect Marcos Estate Tax? Senate Probe Sought
"Kung sakaling I have to collect or BIR has to collect, sasabihin ko sa kanya 'This amount, hindi naman talaga kayo ang magbabayad, it's the estate. Pwede bang maging role model kayo?'" Guillermo told ANC, pertaining to Marcos.
"It came from the Supreme Court, it's final and executory so yun lang naman ang sasabihin ko sa kanya. But I should have the correct data, I should now what really is in that decision. Ie-explain ko sa kanya," she added.
When Marcos offered the BIR chief post to Guillermo, she said he didn't mention anything about his family's estate tax dues. She believes, however, that the P203 billion tax dues from the Marcos family would help much in their collections.
"We have to convert those properties to cash para madagdag sa tax collections ng BIR. Ganun ang gagawin ko," she said.
"Please give me time to look at the documents, how much are we talking about. Hindi ko alam kung talagang P200 billion yan. And maybe if that is really the amount, imagine it will help really the collections of BIR," she added.
Guillermo said she hopes to see the documents on the Marcos family's estate tax dues on June 27 during her turnover with outgoing BIR Commissioner Cesar Dulay.
Guillermo previously served as BIR deputy commissioner, and is now an assistant governor at the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas who heads the central bank's Technology and Digital Innovation Office.
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