S ince Benigno Simeon “Noynoy” Cojuangco-Aquino, III, ran on a slogan of “If there is no corruption, there is no poverty,” then he must run after the tax evaders of the Philippines starting on Day One, July 1, 2010, of his administration.

Just like in Greece, which is now facing a severe economic crisis, the elite, the influential and the powerful families and political figures in the Philippines have been resorting to tax evasion for so many generations now.

Today, the Los Angeles Times runs an article in its "Column One" section that tells the action of Greek officials in “cracking down on tax violators, with hopes of increasing revenues and ending a culture of impunity.” President-elect Noynoy Aquino must do the same if he wants the people, especially the powerless and the financially-disadvantaged Filipinos, to rally to his presidency. Actually, the Philippines is in a far-worse economic condition than Greece. The Philippines has more unemployed-and-underemployed workers and other economic woes than Greece, which does not have any ongoing communist-and-Muslim rebellion as in the case of the Filipino homeland. In fact, Greece employs tens of thousands of Filipino seamen and even hundreds of merchant-marine officers.

It is respectfully suggested to the incoming Philippine President to instruct the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and the Commission on Audit (COA) to begin doing forensic audit on the tax returns of the rich, the powerful – from congressmen and senators to governors and look at how they spent their pork-barrel allocations and of course the outgoing First Family – and the country’s taipans, feudal landlords and other business people.

O ne of the Filipino-Chinese taipans was previously assessed back taxes to the tune of 25.27-billion pesos (spelled with a B) a few years back. Reports said that Lucio Tan, the taipan, managed to “persuade” then the incumbent President to order the BIR to freeze the tax-evasion suit. The taipan ended up using the amounts that he should have paid in back taxes and penalties in buying the controlling share of the national airline and the government-owned national bank.

President-elect Noynoy Aquino can even offer a tax amnesty, which will call for the payment of back taxes. It is suggested that the new President’s economic team consider seriously this proposed tax amnesty, which tax evaders may avail of by paying at least 50% of the estimated back taxes. Paying fifty-percent of unpaid taxes will be a lot better than suffering imprisonment. After all, Mr. Aquino should remember that the American gangster, Al Capone, did not go to jail for murder, extortion and other violent crimes but rather for tax evasion.

H ere are excerpts from today’s Column One of the Los Angeles Times, as written by Megan K. Stack:

Greece turns eye to tax evaders

Amid the economic crisis and unpopular austerity measures, officials are cracking down on tax violators, with hopes of increasing revenues and ending a culture of impunity.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-greek-rich-20100524,0,2882496.story

By Megan K. Stack, Los Angeles Times

May 24, 2010

Reporting from Athens

Kapeleris Ioannis was getting ready to name names. The villains would be taken by surprise, he said darkly. And then, Greece's chief financial crimes investigator laughed.

In a country where face matters, unmasking Greece's most flagrant tax violators is a fearsome threat. Some critics warn that the "naming and shaming" campaign will smear citizens before they've been proven guilty of any crimes.

But these are desperate days: Sleepy, sun-washed Greece has become an international symbol of financial malfeasance and big government run amok. And so, in recent days, the finger-pointing began — the Finance Ministry singling out dozens for allegedly swindling the state.

At a time of public fury over slashed retirement benefits, massive layoffs and reduced salaries forced by huge debt, Greeks are in the mood for something radical. And although the government is an easily identifiable target of the rage, there is also deep frustration at the more amorphous idea of wealth and corruption.

There is a sense, on the one hand, that many Greeks have cheated, at least a little — from the grocer who doesn't hand over a receipt to the conglomerates pumping up their profits by importing goods through dummy offshore companies.
But there is also a palpable indignation, especially among retirees, civil servants and struggling laborers, over having to pay out of pocket for the misdeeds of the more powerful.

"I want to know who they are," said Dialina Vasiliki, a 53-year-old civil servant in the Defense Ministry, as she strolled along a shaded street of fashionable boutiques. "They should be punished."

Thanks to recent austerity measures, Vasiliki said, her own retirement benefit will be cut. "I believe we Greeks still haven't realized what we are facing," she said wearily.

In the tony suburbs of northern Athens, imposing houses sprawl uphill from the sea. Flowering vines explode over high garden walls; the necks of security cameras crane from doorways and glimpses of the sea flicker between the branches of pines and palms. Many here remain unabashed in their sense of entitlement.

‘The whole culture of Greeks is, get as much as you can now, and get away with it,’ said Adras Maroudas, a 19-year-old chemistry student from a wealthy neighborhood who loitered with his girlfriend outside one of the gated mansions, seeking shade under the trees from the late afternoon sun. ‘And this won't change. It's deep in the Greek soul.’

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-greek-rich-20100524,0,2882496.story