Isko's party asks BIR chief if he has sent demands for Marcoses to pay P203-B estate tax

The party of presidential candidate Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko” Moreno on Monday asked Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) Commissioner Ceasar Dulay if he demanded anew the Marcos family to pay their tax liability amounting to P203.819 billion.

In his letter to the BIR, Aksyon Demokratiko chairman Ernest Ramel said Marcos Sr.’s heirs—widow Imelda, daughters Imee and Irene, and son presidential bet Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.—“did not file the estate tax return with the Bureau of Internal Revenue as required by law. Neither did they pay any estate tax.”

“The BIR, which you now head, must renew written demands on the Marcos heirs to pay these tax liabilities once every five years, otherwise they prescribe and become [uncollectible]. Past administrations under Presidents Ramos, Arroyo, and Aquino have faithfully issued such written demands,” Ramel said.

“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 added.

Ramel on Thursday dared the camp of Marcos Jr. to pay the estate tax, saying failure to pay the tax liability despite having been ordered by the Supreme Court is an abuse of power, disregard for the law, and lack of respect for the people.

The High Court in 1997 denied the petition filed by Marcos Jr. to reverse the decision of the Court of Appeals (CA).

In 1994, the CA ruled that “the deficiency assessments for estate and income tax made upon the petitioner and the estate of the deceased President Marcos have already become final and unappealable, and may thus be enforced by the summary remedy of levying upon the properties” of the late dictator.

“The aggregate amount of P203.819 billion which the Marcos heirs owe the Philippine government is such a big amount that Mayor Isko, if elected president, promised to give as ‘ayuda’ to millions of Filipinos who lost their jobs during the pandemic,” Ramel said.

Moreno previously vowed to retrieve the Marcoses’ estate tax debt, proposing to use the money for aid, if he wins the presidential race.

In response to this, Marcos' spokesperson Atty. Victor Rodriguez earlier said the pieces of property which were the subject of the tax case were still under litigation.

"In fact, even  the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) have arrived at an agreement for the BIR to wait for the decision on the said case before any collection enforcement activities and to establish ownership of the subject properties with certainty to determine with accuracy the fair and just tax base to be used in computing estate taxes, if any," he said.

"As to his other allegations, I encourage him to widen his research as these have all been answered by us in the past and it would surely help him come up with a more responsible statement in the future,” he added.

GMA News Online reached out to BIR for comment regarding the inquiry of Ramel, but has yet to receive a reply as of posting time.—AOL, GMA News