BIR files another tax evasion case vs. celebrity doc

Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) | INQUIRER.net file photo

MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) again haled into court celebrity doctor Joel Mendez and his beauty clinic for allegedly unpaid taxes in 2010.

In a statement Friday, the BIR said Weigh Less Center Co. and its partners, doctors Joel and Oscar Mendez were among the eight taxpayers which faced tax-evasion cases lodged before the Department of Justice (DOJ).

In all, these eight latest tax-evasion complaints filed by the BIR covered tax liabilities totaling P118.7 million. The BIR led by Internal Revenue Commissioner Caesar Dulay during the Duterte administration so far brought to trial a cumulative 988 cases under its run after tax evaders (Rate) program.

In the case of the Mendezes and Weigh Less Center, the BIR said they owed the taxman P7.7 million, inclusive of increments, a decade ago.

Back in 2017, Court of Tax Appeals (CTA) upheld the one- to three-year sentence meted out to Joel Mendez in 2016 for failure to file his income tax return (ITR) for the year 2001.

In 2020, law enforcers arrested Mendez in Cagayan de Oro City due to a string of sex cases.

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JPV