POGOs not allowed to open until taxes paid

Not one POGO operator has been given the green light to operate as of now, with all of them instructed to pay their mandatory tax obligations before being able to restart operations, said Internal Revenue Deputy Commissioner Arnel S.D. Guballa. 

Guballa made the comments in an interview with the Inquirer on Thursday, adding that any POGOs and service providers to be found already operating are doing so illegally. 

To date, POGOs were “still in the process of complying with the requirements, including payments,” he said. 

POGO operators have technically been allowed to reopen at the end of April following the lockdown on Luzon and Metro Manila.

However, the sector has come under heavy fire from Philippine lawmakers, calling for POGOs to pay their tax obligations.

Illegally operating POGOs would be closed down by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Philippine National Police (PNP), he said. 

There are 60 POGO licensees in the Philippines. 

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