The Senate Committee on Ways and Means on Monday, May 19 expressed firm belief that reducing taxes is not the solution to help curb illicit tobacco trade but that strengthening enforcement against such activities is still the best course. Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, chairman of the ways and means...
With illegal tobacco incidence reaching an all-time high of 18.2 percent in 2024, Philippine Tobacco Institute (PTI) has urged the Marcos administration to recalibrate tax rates to help reverse the declining state of the tobacco industry. The latest industry data showed that illicit cigarettes...
Administrative penalties should be imposed on government officials who are involved in the dismissal of cases of cigarette smuggling, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said. Gatchalian said the stringent penalties should apply especially to state officials who were repeatedly negligent in...
BUTUAN CITY – The Bureau of Internal Revenue-10 this week spearheaded the destruction of smuggled cigarettes valued at P156 million in Northern Mindanao. BIR officials said the move is part of the nationwide crackdown against tax evasion and underscores their commitment to enforcing tax...
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian called out online shopping platforms, including Shopee, Lazada, Tiktok Shop, Facebook Market, and Instagram, for allowing the sale of illicit tobacco and vapor products. At a recent Senate hearing, Gatchalian lamented that these online shopping applications have...
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian has expressed concern over the widespread smuggling and illicit trade of excisable products, including cigarettes and vapes, warning this could lead to peace and order issues. Aside from this, Gatchalian also said such activities erode the country’s revenue...
CABANATUAN CITY, Nueva Ecija – Police seized 75 boxes of smuggled cigarettes valued at P1.3 million in a checkpoint in Zaragoza, Nueva Ecija on Saturday, Nov. 30. SEVENTY-FIVE boxes of smuggled cigarettes were seized in Zaragoza, Nueva Ecija on Nov. 30. Police Col. Ferdinand Germino, Nueva Ecija...
BACOLOD CITY – Police confiscated smuggled cigarettes worth P1.1 million in a house in Purok Masanagon, Barangay Balintawak, Escalante City, Negros Occidental on Monday, Nov. 11. SMUGGLED cigarettes worth P1.1 million were seized in Barangay Balintawak, Escalante City, Negros Occidental on...
CAMP VICENTE LIM, Laguna – Police seized smuggled cigarettes worth P2.2 million and arrested a suspected smuggler in a buy-bust operation on Tuesday afternoon, October 15, in Barangay Biga, Calatagan, Batangas. The Police Regional Office 4-A identified the suspect as alias Alwin, 48, a resident...
BACOLOD CITY – Police arrested two vendors and confiscated smuggled cigarettes valued at P892,385 at the Bago Public Market, Barangay Makiling, Sagay City, Negros Occidental on Saturday, October 12. The suspects were identified as Nasif, 25, and Sadik, 21, residents of Barangay Balintawak,...
The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has lowered the government-mandated floor prices for tobacco and vape products. Based on the updated BIR floor prices, the minimum retail costs for cigarettes, heated tobacco products, and vaporized nicotine have decreased, while non-nicotine products will...
A Cebu City judge convicted a Chinese national of two criminal cases involving the distribution and sale of counterfeit cigarettes. The accused, Sunxu Zhou, was found guilty for violating Sections 155 and 155.1 (Trademark Infringement) of the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines or...
