MANILA (PNA) — The Court of Tax Appeals (CTA) said yesterday it has issued a warrant of arrest against 1970’s jukebox queen Claire Dela Fuente for allegedly failing to pay the taxes owed by her bus company.
In a one-page resolution dated March 10, 2010, CTA Associate Justices Juanito C. Castaneda Jr., Caesar A. Casanova and Cielito N. Mindaro-Grulla ordered the arrest of Dela Fuente, or Clarita de Guzman in real life.
The singer, best known as the Karen Carpenter of the Philippines, allegedly failed to pay deficiency taxes from 1997 to 2004 amounting to P417,786, 376.21, inclusive of penalties.
The case was filed against Dela Fuente by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) under its Run After Tax Evaders (RATE) Program, in her capacity as vice president and treasurer of the Philippine Corinthian Liner Corporation (PCLC) which runs The King of Kings Transport.
King of Kings Transport operates 237 buses in Metro Manila, mostly plying the Alabang-Baclaran-Monumento route.
In a statement, BIR Deputy Commissioner for Legal and Enforcement and RATE head Atty. Gregorio V. Cabantac said the case is part of the intensified campaign against tax evaders in line with the “Enhanced RATE Program” thrust of Internal Revenue Commissioner Joel Tan Torres to rev up the bureau’s 2010 collection target of P830 billion.
BIR investigation revealed that Dela Fuente failed to file income and percentage taxes, declare the company’s actual income and pay the corresponding taxes, and register her business with the BIR from 1997 to 2004. |
