Tax bureau calls for checks of gaming firm registrationshome/Business/Top Business/Tax bureau calls for checks of gaming firm registrationsThe tax bureau wants regulators to strictly enforce registration rules for offshore gaming operators amid concerns that the industry has become a conduit for undocumented workers from China. The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has asked state-owned Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) to verify that the gaming firms have been officially enrolled before the regulator extends their licenses, the Finance department said in a statement. Revenue Memorandum Circular (RMC) 78-2018, issued last September, states that all foreign and Philippine-based offshore gaming operators (POGOs), including those with offshore licenses, should register with BIR as a prerequisite. “We want to trace these Chinese nationals employed by these gaming operators. The hearing was set in connection to Senate Resolution 243, filed in 2016, that called for a congressional inquiry into reports of illegal Chinese workers in ecozones hosting casinos.

Source: Manila Times February 17, 2019 16:45 UTC