A BILL seeking to repeal a law taxing Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) has been filed in the Senate, after President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. ordered the industry shut down last week.
Senate Bill No. 2752, filed by Senator Emmanuel Joel J. Villanueva on Monday, calls for the cancellation of POGO licenses issued by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) and those within ecozones.
The bill imposes a fine of P100 million and jail time of as much as 20 years for POGO firms that fail to cease their operations within 30 days of the law’s effectivity.
Congress in the last Presidential term passed Republic Act 11590 or the Act Taxing POGOs as a mechanism for legalizing the industry, amid concerns about their social costs.
The bill gives the Bureau of Internal Revenue the authority to continue collecting unpaid taxes from POGOs after the tax law is repealed.
In his third address to Congress, Mr. Marcos ordered PAGCOR to shut down the POGO industry by the end of the year. He also ordered the Department of Labor and Employment to find new jobs for Filipinos working in the industry.
“The evidence of crimes and social ills from POGO operations immensely overwhelms the benefits the Filipinos get from the taxes they pay,” Mr. Villanueva said in a statement. — John Victor D. Ordoñez
