By Christian Dee
MAYNILA – Ipinasara na ang head office ng Smart Communications, Inc. nitong Lunes ng umaga, Pebrero 27, sa Ayala Avenue, Makati City.
Ang pagpapasara ng lokal na pamahalaang lungsod ng Makati sa naturang opisina ay dahil sa diumanong hindi pa nababayarang buwis at pagpapatakbo ng operasyon nito nang walang business permit.
Base sa ulat, noong 2019 pa walang business permit ang Smart.
Sinabi rin sa isang pahayag ng Makati LGU (local government unit) na nabigo ang kumpanya na bayaran ang franchise tax ang mahigit P3 bilyon.
“Smart has failed to settle or obtain any relief from the courts over its franchise tax deficiency worth over P3.2 billion covering the period January 2012 to December 2015,” saad nito.
Giit naman ng Makati City Administrator na si Claro Certeza, hindi katanggap-tanggap ang pag-o-operate nang walang business permit sa mga negosyo sa Makati.
“When businesses in Makati choose to operate without a valid business permit, they are essentially operating outside the law,” aniya.
“This is unacceptable, and I want to make it clear that we will not tolerate this kind of behavior, whether you are a big or small company,” dagdag pa ni Certeza.
Naglabas na rin ng pahayag ang Smart ukol sa closure order na inilabas ng Makati City.
Buong pahayag ng kumpanyang Smart Communications, Inc.:
“Reference is made to the closure order on Smart Communications, Inc.’s Head Office located in Ayala Avenue, Makati City, issued on 23rd February 2023 and served today, 27th February, by the Makati LGU in respect of outstanding local taxation issues.
Smart remains committed to complying with Makati City’s local tax ordinances, and with relevant national laws, applicable in respect of local taxation.
Smart has filed the appropriate cases to resolve outstanding legal issues; these cases remain pending. Our legal and tax teams continue to be in touch with the Makati LGU on the matters at hand.
We assure the public that our services will remain available and accessible to our subscribers.”