Presidential candidates must make public their latest tax payments “in the spirit of transparency and set the example for religious compliance with private obligations to the government.”
Lawyer Rafael de la Torre, chief advocate of the Center for Organizational Studies and Advocacy, on Friday raised the challenge and zeroed in on Senator Manuel Villar whose two endorsers, boxing icon Manny Pacquiao and TV host Willie Revillame have been identified as among the country’s top individual taxpayers in 2008.
The list of top corporate taxpayers as disclosed by the Internal Revenue bureau were Smart Communications, Chevron Malampaya, Globe Telecom, San Miguel Corp., and Manila Electric Co.
Dela Torre said “no doubt Villar is in the company, if not the leader, of these multimillionaires. Unfortunately, he is not included in the BIR’s top taxpayers.”
The advocate also issued the same challenge to other presidential contenders such as Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, Gilbert Teodoro, Joseph Estrada, Richard Gordon, J.C delos Reyes and Nicanor Perlas.
De la Torre pointed out that Villar has been widely known as the richest among the country’s present crop of senators and the wealthiest among the nine presidential bets in the May 10 elections.
“Senator Villar should stand up to that reputation by probably being one of the country’s top individual taxpayers,” Dela Torre said.
The lawyer also held it very likely that at this point, the Nacionalista Party standard-bearer has already crossed the limits on election campaign spending on account of the sustained intensity of Villar’s political ad blitz in the broadcast media.
