MANILA: Philippine boxing legend Manny Pacquiao on Friday won a years-long court battle to avoid paying tens of millions of dollars in extra taxes after an appeals court dismissed the case against him.
Pacquiao and his wife Jinkee had been accused by the Bureau of Internal Revenue in 2012 of owing more than $37 million (2.2 billion pesos) in unpaid taxes for 2008 and 2009.
The 43-year-old previously insisted he had paid the taxes in the United States, so did not need to do so in the Philippines because the two countries have an agreement allowing their citizens to avoid double taxation.
Then president Benigno Aquino was waging a bruising campaign against tax evasion as part of a general crackdown on corruption.
Pacquiao, a former world champion and politician, became one of the highest-profile targets of the tax office’s sweep.
But the Court of Tax Appeals found the tax office had relied on “unverified news articles” to make its assessment.
In a 49-page judgment, the court said the “assessment for deficiency income tax is void for violation of petitioners’ right to due process and for lack of sufficient factual basis.”
The ruling was handed down on September 29 but apparently only released on Friday.
Pacquiao, who reportedly ranked among the country’s top individual taxpayers in 2008 and 2009, welcomed the decision.
“Since the start of my career, I have made sure to pay all my taxes because this helps our government,” he said in a statement.
“I thank the Lord that the truth has come out.”
AFP could not reach the tax office for comment. It is not known if it plans to appeal the decision.
Pacquiao, who retired from boxing last year for a tilt at the Philippines presidency, is deeply admired for hauling himself out of poverty to become one of the world’s greatest and wealthiest fighters.
But he has also earned plenty of detractors with his support for former president Rodrigo Duterte’s deadly drug war, homophobic comments and lack of education.
Pacquiao has been preparing for a charity match against martial arts YouTuber DK Yoo scheduled for December 10 in Seoul.
He ended his 26-year boxing career with a points defeat to Cuban Yordenis Ugas in August 2021 and, as well as being a former senator, made a failed bid earlier this year to be president of his country.
Pacquiao’s net worth was almost $54 million in 2020, according to Senate data.
Philippine court dismisses tax case against boxing legend Manny Pacquiao
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Philippine court dismisses tax case against boxing legend Manny Pacquiao
- Pacquiao and his wife Jinkee were accused in 2012 of owing more than $37 million in unpaid taxes for 2008 and 2009
Fritz wins twice in one day to step up Eastbourne title defense
- Top seeded Fritz prevailed against the world No. 46, winning 7-5, 4-6, 7-5 to book a semifinal date with Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina on Friday
- Alexandra Eala, a 20-year-old Filipino qualifier, won 6-1, 6-2 against Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska to earn a semifinal against Varvara Gracheva
EASTBOURNE, southern England: Taylor Fritz enjoyed two wins in one day as the world NO. 5 beat Joao Fonseca and Marcos Giron on Thursday to move closer to a fourth Eastbourne title.
Fritz’s second round clash with rising Brazilian star Fonseca was suspended at one set all due to bad light on Wednesday.
Defending champion Fritz took the first set 6-3, but the 18-year-old Fonseca, ranked 57th, hit back to win the second 7-6 (7/5).
When play resumed on Thursday morning, Fritz won the deciding set 7-5 to reach the last eight.
The 27-year-old, who won the grass-court tournament in Stuttgart earlier in June, returned to court just hours later and was pushed to the brink by fellow American Giron.
Top seeded Fritz eventually prevailed against the world No. 46, winning 7-5, 4-6, 7-5 to book a semifinal date with Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina on Friday.
Davidovich Fokina, ranked 28th, beat Czech third seed Jakub Mensik 6-4, 7-5 in the quarter-finals.
The other semifinal pits French fourth seed Ugo Humbert against American world No. 149 Jenson Brooksby.
Humbert beat Billy Harris 7-6 (7/4), 6-1, while Brooksby, who entered the tournament as a ‘lucky loser’ after a withdrawal, defeated Dan Evans 6-2, 6-3.
In the women’s event at Devonshire Park, Australian teenager Maya Joint followed her shock second round victory over former US Open champion Emma Raducanu by reaching the semifinals with a 6-4, 7-5 win against Russian Anna Blinkova.
Joint, 19, will face 2021 French Open finalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who beat fellow Russian Kamilla Rakhimova 6-2, 2-6, 6-0.
Alexandra Eala, a 20-year-old Filipino qualifier, won 6-1, 6-2 against Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska to earn a semifinal against Varvara Gracheva.
World No. 74 Eala is an emerging talent on the WTA Tour, having made her breakthrough with a surprise run to the Miami Masters semifinals in March.
French qualifier Gracheva was given a walkover into the last four when Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova pulled out of their quarterfinal with a thigh injury.
Krejcikova, the world No. 17, is awaiting the outcome of a scan before deciding if she can defend her Wimbledon title next week.
“I’m very sorry to have to withdraw from my quarter-final today in Eastbourne as I’m having some soreness in my right thigh,” she said.
“Overnight it just didn’t get any better; it actually got worse. I think it’s better with Wimbledon in the next couple of days just to rest it and to see what’s going on and to resolve that.”
Al-Hilal defeat Pachuca 2-0, advance to Club World Cup knockout phase
Salem Al-Dawsari scored a fancy goal in the 22nd minute, Marcos Leonardo added a clincher in second-half stoppage time and Al-Hilal defeated CF Pachuca 2-0 on Thursday in Nashville to advance to the knockout stage of the FIFA Club World Cup.
Al-Hilal (1-0-2, 5 points), the most successful club in Saudi Arabia, did not take a loss in Group H play after drawing with Real Madrid and RB Salzburg. Their win vaulted them past Salzburg, who finished with four points after losing 3-0 to Real Madrid on Thursday night.
Yassine Bounou made two saves for Al-Hilal, who will face Group H winners Manchester City in the Round of 16 on Monday in Orlando. Meanwhile, Pachuca (0-3-0, 0 points) will return to Mexico without a point in the tournament.
For the opening goal, Salem Al-Dawsari received a pass over the top from Nasser Al-Dawsari (no relation) and popped a high-arcing right-footed shot over Pachuca goalkeeper Sebastian Jurado. The shot bounced into the far corner of the goal.
After Bounou fell on top of a Pachuca chance in the 81st minute, Leonardo put the game out of reach with a goal assisted by Ruben Neves five minutes into second-half stoppage time.
Manchester City thrash Juventus 5-2 in Group G finale
Jeremy Doku put on a brilliant display with plenty of support and some help from the opposition as Manchester City defeated Juventus 5-2 in the deciding match in the Club World Cup’s Group G on Thursday in Orlando.
“We played well. I’m happy with the victory,” Doku said. “Now we’re just curious to see who we’re going to play against.”
Manchester City later learned its Round of 16 foe will be Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal, with the match on Monday in Orlando.
Defender Pierre Kalulu’s gaffe on a cross from Savinho went past his own keeper and nudged City into the lead, 2-1, at the 26th minute. In the 52nd minute, striker Erling Haaland scored while shuffling his feet with a touch that bounded into an open net on a dish from Matheus Nunes. It was the 300th career goal combined for team and country for the 24-year-old Norwegian in only his seventh minute in Thursday’s match.
Phil Foden entered off the Manchester City bench in the 66th minute and tapped in his team’s fourth goal of the match three minutes later. Haaland’s 75th- minute header failed, only for Savinho to power a rebound off the crossbar and into goal to make it 5-1.
Juventus trimmed the deficit on an 84th-minute breakaway from Dusan Vlahovic, who scored for the second consecutive match.
With the teams effectively tied entering the match with two wins apiece, Man City leapt Juventus to the top of the table in a decisive victory that also bumped them to the top of the tournament with 13 goals. City (3-0-0, 9 points) became the only club to win all three matches in the group stage.
As the Group G winner, City will stay in Orlando to oppose Al Hilal, who beat Pachuca 2-0 later Thursday to finish second in Group H. Juventus (2-1-0, 6 points) are headed to Miami Gardens, Florida, as the runner-up in Group G. Their next matchup is Tuesday against Group H winner Real Madrid, who routed RB Salzburg on Thursday.
Man City went ahead 2-1 and held the margin at halftime, scoring first at the nine-minute mark when Doku hit the brakes in front of the net and found the top right corner.
Juventus’ Teun Koopmeiners evened the score two minutes later, but that was the final indication of a close tussle.
The victory was Man City’s first outright over Juventus since 1976.
Vinicius stars as Real Madrid ease into Club World Cup last 16
PHILADELPHIA: Vinicius Junior scored one goal and made another with a touch of class as Real Madrid sealed their place in the last 16 of the Club World Cup with a 3-0 win over Salzburg on Thursday.
The Brazil star opened the scoring after a superb defense-splitting pass by Jude Bellingham on 40 minutes and then set up Federico Valverde for the all-important second goal in first-half stoppage time.
Gonzalo Garcia wrapped up the win late on with his second goal of the tournament, and the result means Xabi Alonso’s team end the first round of FIFA’s new tournament unbeaten.
They go through to the knockout stage as Group H winners on seven points, setting up a last-16 tie against Juventus in Miami on Tuesday.
Salzburg go out as Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia progress in second place behind Real after defeating already eliminated Pachuca of Mexico 2-0 in Nashville.
They play Manchester City in the last 16.
Madrid are adjusting in the United States to life under new coach Alonso and were again without top scorer Kylian Mbappe, with the Frenchman thus far not having played at the Club World Cup as he recovers from illness.
But there was still plenty of star appeal for the 64,811 fans who filled Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia almost to capacity — they reserved their loudest cheers for Bellingham and spirits were not dampened by wet, fresh conditions as the blistering heatwave of recent days suddenly lifted.
Alonso opted, as during his time in charge of Bayer Leverkusen in Germany, for a back three with Aurelien Tchouameni in between Antonio Rudiger and Dean Huijsen. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Fran Garcia played as wing-backs.
Real won 5-1 when the teams met in the Champions League in January with Vinicius scoring twice, and the Brazilian was again heavily involved in putting the Austrian team to the sword here.
He was denied by goalkeeper Christian Zawieschitzky when clean through on 20 minutes, but made up for that by getting the breakthrough as the interval approached.
The goal owed much to a fantastic pass by Bellingham which found Vinicius in between the two Salzburg center-backs. He held off two chasing defenders and scored with an early left-foot shot low into the corner.
It was a 22nd goal of the season in all competitions and one that delighted those backing Real in the crowd.
Petar Ratkov had a chance for Salzburg after Arda Guler was dispossessed just outside his own area, but Real scored again to make it 2-0 almost on the half-time whistle.
When a rather aimless pass forward by Guler was deflected by Salzburg’s Mamady Diambou, Vinicius pounced on the loose ball and continued into the area before producing a clever back-heel to set up Valverde for the goal.
Salzburg now needed a favor from Al Hilal to stay in the competition although they did continue to make a fight of it and had chances to reduce the deficit in the second half.
Nevertheless they were picked off on the counter as Madrid got their third with six minutes of the 90 remaining.
A ball forward by Alexander-Arnold should have been cut out by Joane Gadou but the young defender’s touch was intercepted by Gonzalo Garcia and the young forward ran through before clipping a shot beyond the goalkeeper.
Coventry pauses 2036 Olympics hosting contest in 1st big decision of her IOC presidency
- India has been seen as gaining momentum in the 2036 race that involves at least 10 bidders in talks including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia and Istanbul in Turkiye
- Olympic officials from LA met with Coventry’s board Wednesday and promised a “unity of effort” in the city where the Trump administration deployed military forces after street protests against immigration raids
LAUSANNE, Switzerland: India’s push toward winning the 2036 Olympics hosting contest seemed to stall a little on Thursday in the first big decision of Kirsty Coventry’s IOC presidency.
Coventry paused the fast tracking of a preferred bidder — a signature policy of her predecessor and mentor Thomas Bach — in a concession to International Olympic Committee members who have wanted more say in decisions under new leadership.
“Members want to be engaged more in the process” of picking Olympic hosts, Coventry acknowledged, citing “overwhelming support” at meetings this week to stop and review how it is done and when.
India has been seen as gaining momentum in the 2036 race that involves at least 10 bidders in talks including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia and Istanbul in Turkiye.
In her third full day in office, Coventry promised to create two working groups — to look at how hosts are chosen, and a second analyzing how to “protect the female category” after controversy in women’s boxing at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The two-time Olympic champion swimmer also restated a principled vision ahead of the 2028 Summer Games in the city of Los Angeles, which US President Donald Trump this month called “a trash heap.”
“We see the best of humanity, we see compassion for others” in Olympic values, Coventry said at a news conference after chairing her first executive board meeting over two days.
“If we can celebrate in the diversity that we are, and that we have, we can really work toward creating something great,” the former sports minister of Zimbabwe said, pledging to try to inspire young people.
Olympic officials from LA met with Coventry’s board Wednesday and promised a “unity of effort” in the city where the Trump administration deployed military forces after street protests against immigration raids.
“There is so much goodwill from all levels of government,” Coventry insisted, including federal.
“That gives us faith,” she said, that a platform for the Olympics “will be there for us to ensure that our values are stuck to but that our values will also be heard.”
