MANNY Pacquiao knocked out Mexican ring icon Erik Morales on Sunday, but he will have to contend with yet another Morales when he planes home on Friday.
In a press conference, Bureau of Customs Commissioner Napoleon Morales said that Pacquiao should pay the appropriate taxes for purchasing a brand new Mercedes Benz.
Pacquiao reportedly bought a new Mercedes Benz SL 550 worth $100,000, or roughly P5 million in Los Angeles days before his fight against Morales, the boxer.
But the customs commissioner said the government is not inclined to grant import tax exemption to Pacquiao.
?Unless there will be a document or a resolution from higher offices that will say otherwise, we have no legal basis to exempt him,? said Morales, the customs commissioner. ?He has to pay the taxes, and I think he can afford it because he has lots of money.?
But Morales added that his office has yet to determine the amount of import tax to be collected from Pacquiao.
?We will determine that once the imported car arrives here. It (tax) will be based on the car?s documents.?
Later, Morales couldn?t contain dishing out a bit of pun on the similarity of his surname to Pacquiao?s beaten Mexican opponent.
?Kung napabagsak niya si (Erik) Morales, kailangan si Morales, na Customs Commissioner, pagbigyan niya,? he said. Joel Zurbano
