ABS-CBN paid taxes and paid settlements with BIR

Claim: ABS-CBN was not able to renew its franchise due in part to the network’s tax evasion.

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: The YouTube video was posted by a channel with 323,000 subscribers. As of writing, the YouTube video has 12,000 views.

Refutation from BIR: The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) confirmed that ABS-CBN regularly filed and paid taxes.

Simplicio Cabantac Jr., then the head of the BIR Large Taxpayers Audit Division 3, said in a Senate hearing on February 24, 2020 that the broadcasting network was “regularly filing and paying their taxes for the past number of years.”

Cabantac also said in the hearing that the broadcasting network paid at least P14.398 billion in taxes from 2016 to 2019. 

Paid up: ABS-CBN also paid for settlements with the BIR; specifically, the company had to pay around P152 million for assessed deficiencies on its income tax, value-added tax, and documentary stamp payments. – Miguel Batallones/Rappler.com

Miguel Batallones is a Rappler intern. This fact check was reviewed by a member of Rappler’s research team and a senior editor. Learn more about Rappler’s internship program here.

Keep us aware of suspicious Facebook pages, groups, accounts, websites, articles, or photos in your network by contacting us at factcheck@rappler.com. You may also report dubious claims to #FactsFirstPH tipline by messaging Rappler on Facebook or Newsbreak via Twitter direct message. You may also report through our Viber fact check chatbot. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time.