Manila, Nov 26 (IANS) Philipine boxing hero Manny Pacquiao Tuesday said all his domestic bank accounts had been frozen over allegations of unpaid taxes from lucrative fights in the United States.
The shock announcement came just two days after Pacquiao, 34, resurrected his boxing career with a unanimous points decision win over American Brandon Rios in Macao, reports Xinhua.
“This is harassment,” the former eight-division world champion said in an interview.
Pacquiao said the tax office took the action because it believed he had evaded paying taxes on his fights in the United States in 2008 and 2009 when he was at the peak of his career and earning tens of millions of dollars.
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He said he had broken no laws because he had already paid taxes on those earnings in the United States, which has a treaty with the Philippines that allows citizens of both countries to avoid double taxation.
“I am not a criminal or a thief. I am not hiding anything. I will face my problems as they come,” Pacquiao said.
The Philippines tax bureau confirmed that the local bank accounts of Pacquiao and his wife, Jinkee, had been frozen.
The Pacquiaos have asked the Court of Tax Appeals to lift the bank freeze, but the court has yet to rule on the couple’s petition, according to court papers released to the media.
