ZOREN LEGASP may face trouble for multiple Tax Number

ACTOR-director Zoren Legaspi is in danger of facing another complaint from the Bureau of In­ternal Revenue (BIR) after it was revealed during the preliminary investigation into his tax evasion case on Wednesday that he owns four tax identification numbers (TIN).

“We are verifying from the companies (which took Legaspi’s services) why there are different TIN numbers,” said Legaspi’s ac­countant Flora Capili before As­sistant State Prosecutor Stewart Allan Mariano and a representative from the BIR at the Department of Justice (DOJ).

Mariano stricken off Capili’s statement from the proceeding’s records as this would be deemed incriminating on Legaspi and that she said without the assistance of a lawyer. Legaspi did not attend the hearing but he was required to show up on June 6 to file his counter-affidavit.

Having more than one TIN is a violation of the National Inter­nal Revenue Code, as it can be used to escape paying the cor­rect taxes.

A fine of not more than P1,000 or imprisonment of not more than six months or both can be imposed by the court on a guilty person, according to Section 275 of the NIRC.

Legaspi had said he is willing to cooperate with the government regarding his tax deficiency worth P4.45 million covering years 2010 and 2012. (Virgil Lopez/Sunnex)