Top taxpayers

We played a new game at the Tuesday Club yesterday. It is called Can You Believe What Your Favorite Tycoon Paid in Taxes? Tony Lopez brought the latest issue of his magazine, Biz News Asia, whose cover story is entitled Heroes, or the list of the top 500 taxpayers based on 2008. Tony said he was being ironic, maybe sarcastic with his title and we all found out why.

Of course the top taxpayer is Manny Pacquiao who paid P125 million. Willie Revillame is second at P58.6 million. Piolo Pascual is third with P55.8 million. Kris Aquino is 8th at P25.4 million.

Walter Brown, Manny Zamora, Danding Cojuangco, Manny Pangilinan and Manolo Lopez are from nine to 16. Ramon Ang is at 20th at P14.8 million. Joey Cuisia is at 29th with P11.2 million. Henry Sy Jr is at 34th with P10.2 million.

Jollibee’s Tony Tan Caktiong is 60th at P7.9 million. Henry Sy Sr. is 73rd at P7.2 million. McDonald’s George Yang is 74th at P7.8 million. Dolphy is 113th at P5.5 million.

What the coffee shop found interesting was Bobby Ongpin who was only at 306th with a mere P2.8 million in income taxes. That’s the Bobby Ongpin who controls Petron and San Miguel shares through Ashmore and a new shopping mall in Makati and a listed gaming issue. Movie starlet Rufa Mae Quinto, 133rd, paid more than Bobby at P4.8 million. I wonder if the real estate taxes on his Italian villa is more. Eric Recto, Ongpin’s nephew who works with him, paid more, at P3.8 million.

Robert Coyiuto Jr, of PGA Cars at 352nd, paid P2.6 million, barely enough to buy an entry level Audi from his dealership.

We didn’t see any of the Zobels in the list. Nor did we see Ricky Razon. Maybe they have a different way of computing their income tax and are in a different list.

Tony Lopez just did a great public service in publishing the top 500 list. It is a good way of finding out who our real heroes are. It also reveals who are those who just talk why everyone else has to be a hero instead. –Boo Chanco, Philippine Star