The Makati City government has ordered the head office of leading Philippine telco Smart Communications to be shut down due to unresolved tax- and permit-related violations.
According to an official press release, the closure order was issued mainly for the company’s lack of a proper business permit and unpaid taxes amounting to more than Php 3.2 billion.
The court-ordered shutdown happened just this morning, with Smart’s headquarters located at 6799 Ayala Ave. in Brgy. San Lorenzo, Makati being locked up from the outside by officers from the city government.
Chief among the reasons cited by the Makati City government are a so-called franchise tax deficiency covering the period from January 2012 to December 2015, which amounts to more than Php 3.2 billion, and the company’s failure to secure a business permit since 2019.
Makati City Administrator Claro Certeza said in a statement, When businesses in Makati choose to operate without a valid business permit, they are essentially operating outside the law.”
“This is unacceptable,” he added, “and I want to make it clear that we will not tolerate this kind of behavior, whether you are a big or small company.”
Neither PLDT nor Smart have issued a statement regarding the court-ordered shutdown as of press time.
