Title
Supreme Court
Commissioner of Internal Revenue vs. Court of Appeals
Case
G.R. No. 124043
Decision Date
Oct 14, 1998
YMCA, a non-profit, earned rental and parking income, contested as taxable by CIR. Courts ruled rental income taxable under NIRC, affirming no exemption despite YMCA's charitable objectives.

Case Digest (G.R. No. 113907)
Expanded Legal Reasoning Model

Facts:

  • Parties and Background
  • The Young Men’s Christian Association of the Philippines, Inc. (YMCA) is a non-stock, non-profit welfare, educational and charitable corporation serving youth through various programs.
  • In 1980, YMCA earned ₱676,829.80 from leasing small shops and restaurants on its premises and ₱44,259.00 from parking fees charged to non-members.
  • Procedural History
  • On July 2, 1984, the Commissioner of Internal Revenue (CIR) assessed YMCA for deficiency income tax, expanded withholding tax on rentals and professional fees, and withholding tax on wages, totaling ₱415,615.01 (including surcharge and interest).
  • YMCA protested the assessment; CIR denied the protest. On March 14, 1989, YMCA filed a petition with the Court of Tax Appeals (CTA).
  • CTA (1992) held the rental and parking activities were “reasonably incidental to and reasonably necessary for” YMCA’s objectives and dismissed deficiency income tax and related assessments, but sustained expanded withholding taxes.
  • On appeal, the Court of Appeals (CA) Decision of February 16, 1994 reversed CTA’s tax-exemption ruling on rentals as a matter of law, affirming the deficiency income tax and contractor’s tax assessments.
  • YMCA’s motion for reconsideration before the CA argued CTA’s factual findings were final and that rentals and parking did not forfeit exemption. On September 28, 1995, the CA granted reconsideration and reinstated full exemption. CIR’s motion for reconsideration was denied on February 29, 1996.
  • CIR filed a Rule 45 petition for review in the Supreme Court, raising errors in the CA’s handling of factual findings and legal conclusions on tax exemption.

Issues:

  • Whether the CA’s February 16, 1994 Decision departed from the CTA’s factual findings supported by substantial evidence.
  • Whether YMCA’s income from leasing real property and parking fees is exempt from income tax under Section 27 (now Section 26) of the National Internal Revenue Code (NIRC) and applicable constitutional provisions.

Ruling:

  • (Subscriber-Only)

Ratio:

  • (Subscriber-Only)

Doctrine:

  • (Subscriber-Only)

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