BIR lists top taxpayers

BUSINESSMEN and celebrities have again topped the Bureau of Internal Revenue’s (BIR) list of biggest individual taxpayers, although with significant ranking change for 2012.

Vivian Que Azcona, president of privately held Mercury Drug, was the top taxpayer last year, paying a total of P131.43 million in income taxes. Ms. Azcona, who was not in the 2011 ranking, displaced that year’s topnotcher, celebrity Kristina Bernadette “Kris” C. Aquino, who fell to sixth with P44.933 million.

TV personality Wilfredo “Willie” B. Revillame came in second, up substantially from 181st in the 2011 list after paying P63.9 million in taxes last year.

Lawyer Estelito P. Mendoza jumped 11 places to third with P56.59 million, followed by Vicente R. Ayllon, chairman and chief executive officer of Insular General Insurance Co., Inc., who ranked fourth with P52.307 million.

Rounding up the top five was Gerardo S. Baes, who paid P47.9 million in income taxes.

Following Ms. Aquino in seventh place was property developer Ronaldo R. Soliman, president and chief executive of Icon Development Corp., with P43.305 million.

Eighth was actor John Lloyd E. Cruz with P42.791 million, who also improved significantly from 205th in the 2011 ranking.

Also jumping several place was actress Sharon Cuneta Pangilinan, ninth with P42.03 million after placing 191st in the previous list.

Ayala Corp.’s Fernando M. Zobel de Ayala and Jaime Augusto M. Zobel de Ayala placed 10th and 11th, respectively, after paying P40.846 million and P40.78 million in taxes. They were absent in the 2011 list.

Those recently ranked as among the country’s richest individuals by Forbes also figured in the BIR’s latest list.

Forbes topnotcher Henry S. Sy, Sr and members of his family were in the BIR list, with the patriarch 74th with P16.4 million. Son Henry T. Sy, Jr. was a notch higher in 73rd after paying P16.47 million in income taxes.

Lucio C. Tan, who placed second in the Forbes list, was the 138th biggest taxpayer last year with P11.97 million, while Alliance Global Group, Inc. Chairman Andrew L. Tan, third richest in the country according to Forbes, placed 12th with P39.605 million.

International Container Terminal Services Inc. Chairman Enrique K. Razon, Jr., fourth in the Forbes list, was 52nd with P19.03 million, while JG Summit Holdings, Inc. Chairman Emeritus John L. Gokongwei Jr., who took fifth spot, was ranked 260th with P8.38 million by the BIR.

Other businessmen in the tax bureau’s 2012 list were Antonino T. Aquino, Ayala Land, Inc. chief executive (19th, P32.94 million); Manuel V. Pangilinan, founder of Hong Kong-based First Pacific Company Ltd. (30th, P24.67 million); Erramon I. Aboitiz, Aboitiz Equity Ventures Inc. president and chief executive (31st, P24.31 million); Puregold Price Club, Inc. Chairman Lucio L. Co (47th, P19.76 million); San Miguel Corp. President Ramon S. Ang (160th, P10.99 million); and GT Capital Holdings, Inc. Chairman Emeritus George S. K. Ty (224th, P9.082 million).

Other celebrities who were also tagged as among the largest individual taxpayers last year included Judy Anne Santos-Agoncillo (32nd, P24.09 million); Piolo Jose N. Pascual (34th, P23.36 million); Emmanuel “Manny” D. Pacquiao, (36th, P22.38 million) and Anne O. Curtis-Smith (50th, P19.17 million). –Bettina Faye V. Roc, Reporter