Content creator Rosemarie Tan or Rosmar Tan posted pictures of her past meetings with the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) in response to speculations about her tax compliance.
These speculations came after she revealed in a video interview that she earns between P5 million and P13 million daily from her businesses, thus stirring buzz on social media. Some Filipinos applauded her for her achievements, while others were skeptical if she was paying her taxes properly.
BIR Ambassadress?
In a post on November 30, Rosmar addressed these speculations, saying that she has been a tax complaint to the BIR despite being fearful of the bureau before. She also called herself a “BIR ambassadress.”
“2015 pa ako may business (physical Store) takooot na takooot ako everytime na may TAX MAPPING sa mga stores ko. Ewan, basta kinakabahan ako pag sinabing BIR kahit may mga documents ako,” she recalled.
“Pero nung naging BIR AMBASSADRESS ako last year, narealize ko na wala naman dapat ikatakooot basta nagcocomply ka sa kanila,” she also wrote on her post.
Rosmar also said that she paid the donor’s tax during her wedding and the taxes on her vehicles and properties.
The businesswoman also uploaded screenshots of her previous posts wherein she shared her visits with Internal Commissioner Romeo Lumagui Jr. at the BIR office.
“Naisip ko naman kasi, na ang binabayad kong buwis ay nakakatulong sa gobyerno, sa Pilipinas at lalo na sa mga taong nangangailangan. Kaya bakit di ako magcocomply? Sarap kayang makatulong,” Rosmar said on her post.
Rosmar’s post also came after Inquirer.net reported about the possible filing of tax evasion cases against social media influencers who refused to comply with tax laws.
The BIR has been cracking down on tax-delinquent social media users since 2021. It has initially targeted 250 influencers at that time.
Rosmar, meanwhile, is a social media star with a large following. She boasts 2.4 million followers on Facebook, 18.8 million followers on TikTok and 646,000 on Instagram.
She also runs her own skincare brand, Rosmar Skin Essentials.
How social media reacted
Rosmar earned cheers from some Filipinos after her now-viral interview.
“Teary eyes while watching you Ms. Rosmar Talaga pong nakaka inspired po kayo, napaka-blissful niyo po kung ano man ang meron kayo ngayon. Salamat po sa inspirasyon para lalong lumaban sa hamon ng buhay,” a YouTube commenter said.
Some Filipinos, however, expressed skepticism that Rosmar earns that much exclusively from a skincare brand.
“I doubt yung 5 [million] a day hahaha. Nasobrahan lang sa pag flex si Rosmar haha,” an X user said.
“5 [million] per day means she’s a billionaire by the end of year beh. Konti lang billionaire sa pinas at binabalita yan. She’s not one of them. Wag kang maniwala dyan,” a Redditor also said.
Other Filipinos, meanwhile, told the BIR to go after all tax delinquents, including politicians.
“Intensify your crackdown ON EVERYONE who fails to pay proper taxes,” an X user reacted.
“Same energy din dapat sa mga politko na businessmen,” another X user said.
Several users also said that Rosmar should not have bragged about her wealth.
“Kaya old money families practice ‘quiet luxury’ kaya ayun, mas lalong yumayaman. Never mo silang makikitang nag fflex ng branded items like shoes and bags. Napakasimple manamit na di aakalaing mayaman pala,” an X user said.
