TV host-model Solenn Heusaff urged the Department of Justice (DOJ) to
junk the tax evasion charges lodged against her by the Bureau of
Internal Revenue (BIR).
On Tuesday, Heussaff, accompanied by counsel Atty. Jose Layug,
personally filed her counter-affidavit at the DOJ, which is conducting a
preliminary investigation into the complaint.
Layug bared that the P3.6-million tax charge should be junked because his client had no intentions of evading payment of taxes.
"Before you file the case, the BIR should have shown there was
willful intent on the part of Solenn to cheat her taxes. In the case of
Solenn, she had been paying her taxes so there's no willful intent on
the part of our client," he said.
"There might have been errors, but it could have been corrected if
the BIR gave us the chance to explain why there were errors during a
preliminary hearing," he added.
He also pointed out that the BIR deprived Heusaff of due process
prior to the filing of the complaint, where she could have clarified the
alleged tax deficiency.
The BIR, in its complaint, alleged that the French-Filipina declared only P6.73 million as gross income in her 2011 income tax return "when information from her clients and employers, including GMA Network, San Miguel Brewery, Inc.,, Ginebra San Miguel, Penshoppe and Tape, Inc. showed an income of at least P13.39 million for the year."
The bureau added that Heusaff only declared taxable income of P3.3 million for the said year.
