AFTER a month of its nationwide crackdown against illicit vape retailers/resellers, the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) netted an estimated total tax liability worth Php 415,359,656.72, inclusive of penalties.
The amount was the result of raids conducted against 817 illicit vape retailers/resellers that started in October 16, which resulted in the confiscation of 563,284 units or pods of vape.
“The BIR will continue its war against illicit vape. Report all stores with illicit vape to [email protected]” BIR Commissioner Romeo Lumagui, Jr. stated.
Lumagui himself raided an illicit vape store along Tomas Morato Avenue in Quezon City, where he discovered that the store offered illicit vape products through a “secret menu.” A customer can order illicit vape by browsing through the menu and the employees will get the same from a bodega at the back of the store.
The raids were held from October 16 to November 22 of this year. Common violations of illicit vape retailers/resellers consist of non-affixture of internal revenue stamps, non-payment of excise taxes, and non-registration of vape brands.
The BIR also received complaints that the sale of illicit vape and cigarettes have shifted to online platforms, mainly due to the regular raids of the BIR against warehouses and stores that sell or store these illicit products online.
“All online platforms and e-marketplaces should not offer for sale all illicit vape. Take them down. Block the online sellers from doing business in your platforms. Check for other keywords or phrases that these criminals use to hide or mask what they are really selling in your platforms,” Lumagui continued.