NTA sees over P30-B losses from illicit tobacco trade

THE National Tobacco Administration (NTA) is expecting foregone revenues from illicit tobacco trading to reach more than P30 billion this year.

At the International Tobacco Agricultural Summit in Taguig City yesterday, NTA Regulatory head Robert Ambros said the revenue losses from tobacco smuggling reach about P30 billion annually.

To combat illicit tobacco trading, Ambros said the NTA has a coordinating mechanism with the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and the Bureau of Customs.

For her part, NTA administrator Belinda Sanchez said, “We are supporting their [BIR] efforts in illicit trade.”

Citing data from the Philippine National Police, NTA head of public information Freddie Lazaro said the “hotspots” for illicit tobacco trade are in “Mindanao, Visayas, and somewhere in Region IV, also somewhere in Northern Luzon particularly in Pangasinan.”

BIR commissioner Romeo Lumagui Jr. earlier said the shortfall in excise tax collection stands at 11 percent to 20 percent due to illicit trade.

“We will go after those who are not properly paying excise taxes on sweetened beverages and cigarettes,” Lumagui said. (GMA Integrated News)