PANGLAO, Bohol – Less than two hours after it was ordered close by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), a high-end resort here was back in business.
The 400-room Bohol Hennan Resort on Alona Beach in Panglao resumed operations after paying its tax obligation to BIR.
The closure sign, which was put up by BIR on the entrance of the resort’s convention center, had been taken down, said Henan legal counsel Alan Siu.
He explained that there was no tax delinquency on the part of the hotel but only a delay in the payment with BIR.
He declined to disclose the amount paid to BIR.
Eduard Pagulayan, BIR director for Central Visayas, implemented a closure order on Hennan past 11 a.m. on Tuesday for failing to declare its total income.
“Their (Bohol Hennan Resort Inc) gross receipt is under-declared by more than 30 percent. That’s the violation,” Pagulayan told the Inquirer after putting the closure notice on the entrance of the hotel’s convention center.
He didn’t say how much Hennan owed the government except that the amount was “substantial.”
Pagulayan said Hennan was the first hotel in Bohol shut down by BIR since the agency started implementing Oplan Kandado that aimed to maximize the degree of tax compliance and impose heavy penalties on tax offenders.
The agency’s surveillance on Hennan began last September after they noticed discrepancies in the resort’s tax declaration.
The BIR sent a 48-hour notice of violation and notice of compliance to Hennan but the hotel management didn’t send any reply, prompting the agency to order the closure.
“This is a strong message that they should pay their taxes religiously,” said Pagulayan.
“Sana tumulong sa ating gobyierno dahil kailangan natin ng maraming pondo sa Build, Build, Build ng ating Pangulo kaya kailangan magbayad ng taming buhis (They should help our government since we need a lot of funds for the Build, Build, Build program of our President. That is why it is necessary that they should pay proper taxes),” he added.