The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) Revenue Region No. 6, which covers the City of Manila and Palawan, destroyed 240,550 illicit vape products with an estimated tax liability of P1.539 billion on Aug. 24 at the Digama Waste Management Facility in Porac, Pampanga.
‘Enforcement does not end with seizure. We must permanently remove illicit vape products from the market and hold accountable those behind their illegal manufacture, importation, distribution, and sale,’ BIR Commissioner Charlito Martin R. Mendoza said in a statement on Tuesday.
According to Revenue Region No. 6 Regional Director Remir Macatangay, BIR Manila has expanded its enforcement operations from individual retail establishments to warehouses.
‘We started with retail stores and expanded to warehouses. This led to our operation against Tap Fog Philippines, the largest single illicit vape enforcement operation conducted by the BIR to date. Some of the products seized in that operation were among those destroyed today,’ Macatangay said.
The destruction, the BIR statement said, should send a clear message: ‘Neither unlawful traders nor unfavorable weather conditions can hinder the BIR’s commitment to safeguarding government revenue, protecting compliant businesses, and keeping illicit vape products out of the market.’