The government’s tax collections from Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGO) dropped 45.54 percent in 2021 as many have stopped operations amid the pandemic.
According to a statement released by the Department of Finance (DOF) yesterday, the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) collected P3.91 billion in taxes from POGOs last year.
In 2020, the BIR raked in P7.18 billion from POGOs.
To date, there are 40 POGO licensees and 168 POGO service providers registered with the BIR.
In October last year, the DOF said the exit of some POGO players was due to the crackdown of China on online gambling.
The government recently enacted a POGO tax law, Republic Act 11590 or an Act Taxing Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations, which took effect on Oct. 9, 2021.
Since then, the BIR said the POGO tax regime, which is a clear regulatory and taxation framework for POGOs and their employees, was implemented by the agency.
The BIR earlier reported it raked in P1.22 billion from October 9 to Dec.31, 2021, from the implementation of the new tax law.
“As we already have rules and regulations in place for the POGO industry, we expect POGO operations to continue and we foresee an increase in revenues arising from said activities,” the BIR previously said.
Last October, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez said tax collections from POGOs is expected to hit P76.2 billion in 2022 to 2023. – Angela Celis
