Commissioner Caesar R. Dulay of the Bureau of Internal Revenue has ordered the suspension and filing of criminal and administrative charges against three Quezon City tax examiners for allegedly attempting to extort P33 million from a business taxpayer to settle his more than P100-million deficiency tax assessment.
The BIR chief issued the directive to make good his promise to cleanse the agency of corrupt personnel and in compliance with the anti-corruption policy of President Duterte.
Dulay placed under three-month suspension the respondents to the case, revenue officers Susan Ferrer, Rogelio Jugao, and group supervisor Crisanto Olazo and instructed them “to turn over all government properties for which they are accountable as well as unfinished assignments.”
Records showed that the charges stemmed from a complaint of a business taxpayer to Dulay few days after he assumed the BIR post.
In a report to Dulay, investigators said Ferrer and Jugao met the taxpayer who was not identified in a restaurant where they discussed the latter’s tax problem.
Ferrer and Jagao allegedly demanded P3 million and P30 million, respectively, for the settlement of the tax liabilities they were separately handling.
Dulay said Olazo “was included in the charges for his failure to prevent and instead consented to the demand and attempt of Jugao to collect the R30-million alleged settlement.”
Investigators also took note about the anomalous and impractical practice of taxmen to meet taxpayers or their representatives outside the BIR offices where voluminous records are stored and easily accessed.
They said the tax examiners tried to come out with high deficiency tax assessment to compel the taxpayer “to cough up money for their personal gain.”
In his directive, Dulay declared the revenuers “utterly failed to discharge their duties with the highest degree of integrity, honesty, excellence, professionalism, and impartiality and had committed acts that carry the elements of corruption, clear intent to violate the law, and flagrant disregard of established rules in the conduct of audit and investigation of tax cases.” (Jun Ramirez)