Alice Guo faces billion-peso tax raps

The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has filed a series of criminal complaints before the Department of Justice (DOJ), including a high-profile tax evasion case against Alice Leal Guo involving alleged liabilities exceeding ₱1.008 billion.

In a statement, the BIR said the Guo case is the largest among five new criminal tax cases recently filed, with total estimated deficiencies across all cases reaching more than ₱1.46 billion.

Guo is accused of failing to file income tax returns from 2019 to 2023 despite substantial financial transactions and asset acquisitions during the period. The charges include alleged undeclared income and tax evasion under Sections 254 and 255 of the National Internal Revenue Code (NIRC) of 1997, as amended.

The case was triggered by testimony during a Senate hearing on May 22, 2024 related to a raid on a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) hub in Bamban, Tarlac, where Guo reportedly acknowledged ownership of multiple properties, vehicles, and corporate interests.

Subsequent BIR investigation revealed extensive assets and financial activity, including real estate, motor vehicles, a helicopter, stock holdings, and other acquisitions. Using the expenditure method, the agency concluded that reported income did not match documented spending, leading to the finding of unpaid taxes.

In a separate enforcement effort, the BIR also filed charges against several individuals and corporations for alleged illicit cigarette trade involving 574,980 packs intercepted in Antique. The shipment, found without required internal revenue stamps, carried an estimated excise tax deficiency of more than ₱418.38 million for 2025.

Additional cases were filed against Bellagio Phil. Amusement Inc., AJAF Limsart Corp., and another individual taxpayer for willful failure to settle final tax deficiencies from 2017 to 2019, ranging from ₱3.58 million to ₱32.27 million.

BIR Commissioner Charlito Martin Mendoza said the agency will continue to intensify its campaign against tax evasion and illicit trade.

“The BIR will continue to pursue the filing and prosecution of cases against tax evaders, illicit traders, and delinquent taxpayers. These cases are about accountability and fairness, holding violators answerable under the law, while protecting the millions of taxpayers and businesses who comply and pay the correct taxes due,” Mendoza said.

The agency said the filings form part of its Run After Tax Evaders (RATE) Program under the broader DARES reform agenda, which combines digital transformation, audit reform, revenue protection, and improved taxpayer engagement.

With the latest batch, the BIR said it has now