Philippine senate eyes influx of Chinese working for online casino ops

News on 17 Feb 2019

Philippines-based offshore gaming operators (POGOs) will only receive license renewals from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp (PAGCOR) once they have registered with the Philippines Bureau of Internal Revenue (PBIR).

The PBIR intends casting its tax net over the “tens of thousands” of Chinese entering the country to work for 50 plus POGOs, a statement released Sunday said.

According to Bloomberg, “of the more than 115,000 permits given to foreign workers from 2015 to 2017, 51,000 were issued to Chinese nationals,” and “more than 3 million Chinese have entered the Philippines from 2016.”

The PBIR has signified its intention to join an interagency task force that will monitor the movements of Chinese Nationals in the online gaming industry through collaboration with PAGCOR, the Bureau of Immigration and the Department of Labor on Employment, BIR Deputy Commissioner Arnel Guballa said.

According to The Manilla Times, Philippine Senate Committees are scheduled to meet this week to discuss the influx of illegal foreign workers taking employment away from Filipinos.

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