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POGO employing 8,000 shutdown for tax


A Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO), said to be the second-largest operating in the country, has been shut down by the government for failing to pay the correct taxes.

The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) lead an inter-agency raid on Great Empire Gaming and Amusement Corporation and closed it down for its failure to register for Value Added Tax, local media reports. The BIR padlocked its offices that occupied 11 floors of a building in Libis, Quezon City.

The POGO is said to employ more than 8,000 workers. None were arrested in the raids. 

The Philippines has been cracking down on its POGO licensees for tax violations and for non-compliance with other areas of the law, in particular valid working permits for non-residents.

The sector employs hundreds of thousands of Chinese and has come under Beijing’s radar for targeting Mainland residents. The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. has said it won’t issue any further POGO licenses until it has conducted a review of the industry. 

 

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