DOJ: Gov't lost P50 billion to 'fake receipt' scam

The government has lost around P50 billion in a “fake receipt” scam that some large corporations used to evade payment of taxes, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said Friday.

“Fake receipts are scams. It is submitted for the itemization of deductions...These are fake receipts being submitted to pass off as deductions which is a violation of the National Internal Revenue Code and the Revised Penal Code,” Remulla told reporters in a media briefing.

"This is a systematic way of defrauding the government,” he added.

In March, the BIR filed criminal complaints against four “ghost” corporations involved in fake transactions with legitimate businesses to help them evade the payment of correct taxes, which resulted in a revenue loss of P25.5 billion.

Remulla also said a businessman is one of the alleged incorporators of the firm involved in the production of the fake documents.

“Alam ko, he’s one of the top incorporators, one of the top officers of these companies and he was mentioned by the witnesses as the one running the scam,” he said.—Sundy Locus/LDF, GMA Integrated News