PAGCOR Still Trying to Collect $42.7M from POGOs

The goal of PAGCOR, the Philippines’ gaming regulator, has always been to raise sufficient funds to pour back into various social programs. Now, though, a new audit indicates that the watchdog may have not collected as much as PHP2.33 billion ($42.7 million) from Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) over the past five years.

PAGCOR Still Has Due Tax to Collect
There are more than 50 POGOs in the country and the most recent audit of PAGCOR indicates that the regulator has been struggling in enforcing proper tax collection. Not all of the money is unchallenged, though, as some POGOs claim that up to PHP815.9 million has been unjustly requested by the regulator. As such, the sums are under “protest.”

The remainder of the sum, though, some PHP1.5 billion has not been collected over the past five years, meaning that PAGCOR has been missing out on some relevant and important revenue. The Commission on Audit argued that POGOs have been struggling to pay their full dues to the state even though there are clear collection procedures that should not have been broken in the first place.

Nevertheless, the audit should provide PAGCOR with some valuable information. For example, it should serve as good guidance on how the regulator may improve its collection procedures and make sure that POGOs do pay their dues in full. Such properties ought to pay by the 15th of each month.

Source: https://www.gamblingnews.com/news/pagcor-still-trying-to-collect-42-7m-from-pogos/