MANILA, Philippines – Is Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. liable for his family’s unpaid P203 billion estate tax?

His spokesperson, Vic Rodriguez, would like everyone to believe he isn’t, as he quoted from the original 1997 Supreme Court ruling that the delinquent tax payer of an estate is not “necessarily and exclusively Marcos Jr. as heir of the deceased.” But that quote referred to the service of court notices.

Tax lawyers say the executor or the administrator shall pay the estate tax. Marcos Jr. and his mother Imelda are the court-approved executors.

However, two newspapers put on their front pages statements from anonymous Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) field officers, and the dictator’s defense minister, the plunder defendant Juan Ponce Enrile, “clearing” Marcos Jr. This caused more confusion given the various misleading and downright false claims about the issue.

In this episode of the Law of Duterte Land Podcast, we discuss estate tax more extensively with tax lawyer Jean Francois “Punch” Rivera III, the assistant national treasurer of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP). Rivera, a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), teaches taxation and business Law at the University of the Philippines Virata School of Business, and remedial law at the University of the Philippines College of Law.

Marcos’ spokesman continues to insist that the case is pending, even though Supreme Court records show that the 1997 ruling is final and unappealable, and became executory in 1999. Rodriguez said it’s because there are still pending ill-gotten wealth cases, even though the Supreme Court in 1997 already said they have no bearing on the assessment.

Both the BIR and the Department of Finance confirmed trying to collect from the Marcoses to no avail.

How come a powerful family is able to go on without paying this much tax?

Rappler’s justice reporter Lian Buan, who also covers Marcos Jr.’s campaign, talks to tax Atty Rivera on Thursday, April 7, 11:30 am.

Podcast

[PODCAST] Law of Duterte Land: Explaining Marcos’ P203-B estate tax debt

– Rappler.com