Philippines BIR files tax evasion case against Alice Guo over PHP 1bn deficiency

The Philippines’ Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has filed a criminal complaint against former Bamban mayor Alice Guo over an alleged tax deficiency exceeding PHP 1bn, marking the largest case among five new tax enforcement actions announced this week.

As reported by The Philippine News Agency, the BIR accused Guo of tax evasion and failing to file Annual Income Tax Returns from 2019 to 2023. Authorities said the case stemmed from investigations launched after Guo testified during a Senate inquiry in 2024 into a raid on a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) compound in Bamban, Tarlac.

According to the BIR, investigators identified substantial assets and financial transactions linked to Guo, including real estate holdings, motor vehicles, a helicopter, bank transactions and corporate interests. Despite these documented acquisitions and expenditures, records showed she did not file income tax returns during the five-year period under review.

Using the expenditure method to reconstruct income, the tax agency concluded that available documentation failed to justify the scale of spending uncovered during the investigation, leading authorities to determine that taxable income had not been declared.

Guo faces charges under Sections 254 and 255 of the National Internal Revenue Code for attempting to evade taxes and failing to file returns and pay taxes.

The filing adds to Guo’s mounting legal troubles. She was previously convicted in a human trafficking case linked to a large-scale scam operation allegedly connected to POGO activities and was permanently barred from holding public office following a separate administrative ruling.

The BIR also announced criminal charges against several other individuals and companies, including a cigarette smuggling case involving an estimated excise tax deficiency of PHP418.38m. Additional cases were filed against Bellagio Phil. Amusement Inc., AJAF Limsart Corp., and an individual taxpayer for unpaid tax liabilities.

BIR Commissioner Charlito Martin Mendoza said the agency would continue pursuing tax evaders, illicit traders and delinquent taxpayers as part of its ongoing enforcement efforts, stressing that the cases are intended to protect compliant taxpayers and ensure fairness in the tax system.