‘Lower tax won’t stop illegal vape trade’
MANILA, Philippines — Lowering the excise tax on tobacco products will not stop its illegal trade, a Senate panel said yesterday.
At the fourth Senate hearing on House Bill 11360, vape importers and retailers revealed that based on local market intelligence, over 80 percent of vapes sold nationwide are illegal and unregulated.
Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, who chairs the ways and means committee, said the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) need to ramp up operations against illicit traders of vapes.
BIR Assistant Commissioner Jethro Sabriaga said vape shops are stashing illegal products for consumption of patrons.
“They have legal products on display. They have stamps and are registered. But if you look at the Facebook pages of these shops, you’ll discover that they sell illegal vapes,” Sabriaga said.
Data presented by health experts showed that 40 percent of teenagers are consuming vape products – an increase from seven percent in 2019.
Up to 1,636 operations against illegal vape traders and smugglers were conducted by the BIR.
Of the number, only one trader was convicted.
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