Miss Universe Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach is one step closer to having her earnings tax-free from the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) after Congress passed House Bill 6367 in recognition of the beauty queen’s achievement. The BIR originally said that Pia’s one-year salary as Miss Universe, plus her $300,000-crown (approximately more than P14 million) will be taxed by the government. And while Pia promised she’d pay her taxes “just like everyone else,” she later clarified that the BIR can’t tax her crown because it isn’t hers and will be passed on to the next Miss U!
MANILA, Philippines — Pia Wurtzbach said she will pay taxes on her pageant winnings, but she won’t pay tax for the Miss Universe crown.
In an interview with Philstar.com and select members of the press after her news conference on Sunday, the 26-year-old beauty queen said the crown can’t be taxed “because it’s not mine.”
The current Miss Universe crown is reportedly worth $300,000 (or more than P14 million), and it will be passed on to the succeeding winners of the pageant. The diamond-encrusted crown debuted during the 63rd Miss Universe pageant (where Paulina Vega of Colombia emerged as the winner) and will reportedly be used for 10 years.
But Pia also promised to settle her taxes just “like everyone else.”
“I pay my taxes when I was with ABS-CBN… as an actress; when I was with Binibini, so I’ll continue on doing that as long as I’m earning money here, like everybody else,” she said.
This came after Bureau of Internal Revenue Commissioner Kim Henares said in a TV interview that Pia, the third Filipino Miss Universe, is not exempt from paying taxes.
Source: PhilStarGlobal
