BIR told: Run after smugglers, not Pacquiao

Buhay Representative Lito Atienza. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) should not be hasty on the tax evasion case against  boxing champ Manny Pacquiao, a lawmaker said Wednesday.

According to Buhay Representative Lito Atienza, who also serves as a father figure to Pacquiao,  the timing of the issue is wrong considering that the nation is celebrating the victory of Pacquiao against Brandon Rios.

Atienza insisted that smugglers should be the people that the BIR should run after first and not Pacquiao.

The government,  according to Atienza, should be sensitive on the tax evasion case against Pacquiao because his matches are the source of his earnings and it is the boxing champ’s life that he risks everytime he steps into the ring.