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PH to coordinate with ASEAN, China on illicit entry of cigarettes

By Joann Villanueva

November 1, 2019, 3:04 pm

 

MANILA -- The Philippine government will closely coordinate with officials of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and China regarding stricter rules against the entry of untaxed cigarettes in the country.

This after a team from the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) confiscated in an operation in Binondo, Manila last week about 145 master cases of cigarettes from China that were illegally brought into the country.

The cigarette packs do not have tax stamps and graphic health warnings, which are requirements for those that will be sold in the domestic market.

Revenue officer and strike team leader Remedios Advincula Jr. said entry of smuggled cigarettes from China is intended to cater to the needs of the growing Chinese population in the Philippines.

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III, in a text message to journalists Thursday, said the government is “increasing vigilance against non-tax paid cigarettes from all sources.”

“(I) will order the BOC (Bureau of Customs) to alert their counterparts in China and all the Asean countries to the practice of exporting untaxed cigarettes to the Philippines,” he added.

The government has strengthened the implementation of policy on the illicit cigarette trade to ensure that manufacturers and businessmen pay correct taxes.

This drive has resulted to the slapping of charges against Mighty Corporation, which has been ordered to pay about PHP25 billion for tax liabilities.

Authorities lauded the success of the drive against the erring cigarette manufacturer, saying this is the highest tax fraud that has been successfully caught so far. (PNA)

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