RP wins case against Marcos

RP wins case against Marcos

MANILA (AFP): The Philippine Supreme Court upheld the foreclosure of 30 real estate properties of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos and his family to pay for 23.6 billion pesos (US$907.69) in unpaid taxes.

The tribunal affirmed an earlier decision by the Court of Appeals giving the Philippine government the right to take over the parcels of land after the Marcoses failed to settle real estate and income taxes they owed, court officials said.

In its ruling, the court stressed that the "taxes are the lifeblood of the government and should be collected without unnecessary hindrance."

A special tax audit team had determined in June 1990 that Ferdinand Marcos, his wife Imelda and son, Ferdinand Junior, owed the government 23.6 billion pesos in real estate and income taxes from 1982-1985.