Vape. Stock image
MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) on Tuesday filed criminal complaints against five people allegedly selling smuggled and untaxed vape products.
Facing complaints for tax evasion and unlawful possession before the Department of Justice is Wei Fong Bao, also known as Sofi Chua, Christina Poa, Sandoval Severino Briones, Jimy Go, and Bibiano Lesaca.
“I hope this serves yet another warning to those who think that they can continue to evade the payment of their taxes,” BIR Commissioner Romeo Lumagui Jr. said in a statement.
The complaints were the direct result of a raid in Tondo, Manila, that led to the seizure of approximately 50,000 to 100,000 units of vapes, plus 899 boxes of untaxed excisable articles composed of 175,050 pieces of pods and 61,400 pieces of bottled flavored vape juice. The estimated value of the confiscated goods ranged from P15 million to P30 million.
This photo shows the cover of the complaint filed by the Bureau of Internal Revenue against five people allegedly selling smuggled and untaxed vape products. INQUIRER.net / Tetch Torres-Tupas
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Aside from this, the BIR said, “the accused are likewise facing a civil case deemed instituted in the criminal complaint, in the aggregate amount of P1.2 billion, inclusive of fines and penalties.”
Lumagui appraised that the government loses around P1.4 billion in revenue due to smuggled vapes alone. “The excise tax for nicotine salts is P47 per milligram. So with an estimated 500,000 units per month brought in illegally, with an average of 5-milligram content at P47 per milligram, the country loses around P117.5 million per month or P1.410 billion annually,” he explained.
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