Pagcor pact with casinos sparks Senate probe

WHILE the Bureau of Internal Revenue looks for ways on how to increase revenue collection in order to provide more money for the government, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor)--which is supposed to help the BIR accomplish the job--instead introduced a measure that apparently spares big casino operators from tax liabilities.

The move is part of an agreement between Pagcor and four casino operators in Entertainment City in Manila that lowered by 10 percentage points of licensee fees to be paid by the operators to Pagcor, the government’s gambling regulator and operator.