By Joann Villanueva | Philippine News Agency
Some of the 448,494 illicit vape products, valued at approximately P1.34 billion in unpaid taxes and penalties, were simultaneously destroyed nationwide by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) on Monday.
The activity is part of the three-day event aimed to address illicit trade, and was live-streamed through the agency’s Facebook page, https://fb.watch/D-pzrLIGci/.
BIR Commissioner Charlito Martin Mendoza, during the event, underscored the need to conduct the activity publicly and simultaneously nationwide to inform the public that “the government does not—and will not—tolerate the sale of vape and vapor products without the full and proper payment of excise taxes, as evidenced by the excise tax stamps that must be affixed to every vape product sold.”
He explained that excise taxes on all sin products, such as vape, have dual purpose — to regulate use by hiking retail prices and discouraging use among the public, and to generate revenues for government healthcare programs.
“Moreover, the absence of excise tax stamps tells us that these distributors and sellers undermined and evaded government oversight of these sin products, including our authority to monitor, regulate, and control their sale and distribution,” he said.
Mendoza said the BIR will continue to seize, destroy and permanently remove unstamped vape products from the market “to ensure that no one profits by placing consumers at risk.”
“Our enforcement actions will be more intensified, coordinated, and uncompromising to protect public health, uphold the law, and safeguard legitimate government revenues,” he added.
BIR has teamed up with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to ensure that the destruction activities will not violate any environmental, health, and safety standards. (PNA)
