Following the seizure of cigarettes with fake tax stamps worth billions, Finance Secretary Carlos “Sonny” Dominguez III wrote a letter to Alibaba’s executive chairman Jack Ma, asking him to take down fake tax stamps being sold on the e-commerce website.
“Advertising and selling of fake tax stamps in the open, through your company’s web portal, provides so much room and easy access for individuals and entities to evade excise tax on cigarettes in the Philippines.” Domiguez wrote in the letter, ABS-CBN News reports.
The government is currently pursuing individuals and companies found to be evading the payment of proper taxes and duties.
The alleged use of fake stamps by cigarette manufacturer Mighty Corp. has supposedly cost the government about P1 billion in foregone revenues.
“We would like to respectfully request that Alibaba cooperate with the government of the Republic of the Philippines by immediately stopping such advertisement and prohibiting similar advertisements in the future,” Dominguez added.
According to GMA News, “only state printing agencies Apo Production Unit Inc. and National Printing Office are allowed to print tax stamps for cigarettes and liquor, respectively. Both are under the Presidential Communications Office.”
