Persons behind P544-M fake cigarette tax stamps face raps

The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) is set to file criminal charges and assess deficiency taxes against the persons behind the manufacture of some PHP544 million worth of counterfeit cigarette tax stamps seized recently in Bacolod City.

In its report to Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III, the BIR said the 15 million pieces of these fake internal revenue tax stamps were confiscated last May 4, 2021 at a warehouse and in three trucks parked outside the premises in Barangay Tangub in Bacolod City, along with various raw and packaging materials for cigarette production.

“The BIR office in Region 12 will file –and we coordinated with them– the necessary criminal cases and the assessment of deficiency taxes on this,” BIR Deputy Commissioner Arnel Guballa said in his report during a recent Department of Finance (DOF) Executive Committee (Execom) meeting.

BIR-12 director Antonio Jonathan Jaminola led the operation, along with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Philippine Army.

Jaminola said nobody was inside the warehouse when they broke into the area along with barangay officials.

The team brought a mission order that authorized the raid.

Jaminola said they received information that fake cigarettes were allegedly manufactured there, but upon their arrival, several packages of fake tax stamp were found.

The team also found raw materials and packaging materials of cigarettes at the warehouse.

Jaminola also said that several fake cigarettes were recovered in one of the vehicles parked in the area.

However, they have yet to declare its amount as inventory is ongoing.

Jaminola said the fake cigarettes were probably ready to be sold in the markets.

“Medyo matagal-tagal na rin siguro ito,” he added.

All the recovered items were brought to BIR office for custody.

Jaminola said they have yet to identify the owner, who might be charged for tax evasion.

“Hangga’t merong magbibigay ng information ay tatrabahuin namin,” he said.

Tax stamps are affixed to cigarette packaging to indicate that the required taxes were already paid.