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The BIR raids a vape festival in Las Piñas, August 18, 2024. Handout/BIR

The BIR raids a vape festival in Las Piñas, August 18, 2024

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Izzy Lee

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1723995931445081824_Vape Festival.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="The BIR raids a vape festival in Las Piñas, August 18, 2024. Handout/BIR"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">The BIR raids a vape festival in Las Piñas, August 18, 2024. <em>Handout/BIR</em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA -- The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) on Sunday raided a vape festival in Las Piñas City, targeting vape products for evading excise tax.</p><p>According to BIR Commissioner Romeo Lumagui Jr., over 5,000 vape products lacking internal revenue stamps were seized during the operation.</p><p>&quot;Lahat ng produktong nakita natin dito ay walang stamps at hindi bayad ng excise tax kaya lahat ng nakita natin kinonfiscate natin pati yung mga nakaparadang delivery vans,&quot; Lumagui said.</p><p>(All the products we found here lacked stamps and had not paid the excise tax, so we confiscated everything, including the parked delivery vans.)</p><p>The commissioner explained that the raid followed surveillance due to widespread non-compliance with excise tax regulations in the vape industry.</p><p>&quot;Tinututukan natin ito dahil napakaraming leakage ang ating hinahabol sa excise tax na ito… Nagfe-festival sila, lantaran ang pagma-market nila ng vape products at di bayad ang excise tax,&quot; he said.</p><p>(We are focusing on this issue because there are significant leaks in the excise tax system. They hold festivals and openly market vape products without paying the excise tax.)</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/2024/8/12/don-t-normalize-smoking-vaping-health-advocates-tell-public-1445" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">READ: Don&#x27;t &#x27;normalize&#x27; smoking, vaping, health advocates tell public</a></div><p>Lumagui noted that no representatives or booth owners came forward or engaged with them during the raid. The BIR plans to coordinate with the brands of the confiscated products to address criminal liabilities and penalties. </p><p>The agency is currently conducting an inventory of the seized items before their destruction, with an initial tax liability estimate of P7-million.</p><p>Marc Zhander Herrera, a distributor of vape products, explained that many of the items at the event were prototypes and not yet available for sale in the Philippines, which is why they were not subject to tax.</p><p>&quot;It&#x27;s a prototype, it&#x27;s a sample. It&#x27;s direct from China. Dun sa mga boxes, wala pa siyang government health warning sign. Kasi ito naman not for selling, it&#x27;s for consumers to try before they release it to market,&quot; he said.</p><p>(It&#x27;s a prototype, a sample direct from China. The boxes do not have government health warning signs because they are not for sale; they are for consumer testing before the official market release.)</p><p>Lumagui urged the public to ensure compliance with government regulations.</p><p>&quot;Panawagan natin sa vape industry &#x27;yung gustong mag-angkat at gustong magmanufacture ng vape products ay siguraduhin natin na compliant tayo sa lahat ng regulations ng gobyerno,&quot; he said.</p><p>(We call on the vape industry to make sure that all imported and manufactured vape products comply with all government regulations.)</p><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FRYqwrUzXMo?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><div><br/></div><div><br/></div><div><br/></div>

<p>The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) on Sunday raided a vape festival in Las Piñas City, targeting vape products for evading excise tax.</p>

The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) on Sunday raided a vape festival in Las Piñas City, targeting vape products for evading excise tax.

BIR raids vape festival in Las Piñas over excise tax evasion

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BIR raids vape festival in Las Piñas over excise tax evasion

Izzy Lee,

ABS-CBN News

Published Aug 18, 2024 11:46 PM PHT

Read More:

vape

vape festival

Las Pinas

Bureau of Internal Revenue

tax evasion

Romeo Lumagui Jr

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