More changes may be on the way for a tourist visa.

[hk blues]

On 8/10/2019 at 1:00 AM, Jollygoodfellow said:

My point is how are the Chinese operating business here. Many of these business are small and not Casinos so how do they get a permit since they are foreigners and come under the same rules. To pay tax you have to be an legit business. 

Filipino partners?  Or, are they Filipino-Chinese?  

[Jack Peterson]

1 hour ago, hk blues said:

Filipino partners?  Or, are they Filipino-Chinese?  

 There are reports of many arranged marriages for this Purpose as we were told by a good Friend, Filipa/ Chinese. This happens in a lot of Countries,  ie Marriages of Convenience

[OnMyWay]

1 hour ago, hk blues said:

Filipino partners?  Or, are they Filipino-Chinese?  

I saw it stated in many articles that billions of pesos of taxes are being avoided.  This one says they are looking for 22 billion.

[OnMyWay]

4 hours ago, Jack Peterson said:

 There are reports of many arranged marriages for this Purpose as we were told by a good Friend, Filipa/ Chinese. This happens in a lot of Countries,  ie Marriages of Convenience

Yes, I'm sure there are many.  If you look at the BI visa list, there are some 13a for China, but the vast majority are commercial, sponsored by companies.

[Jack Peterson]

18 minutes ago, OnMyWay said:

If you look at the BI visa list, there are some 13a for China, but the vast majority are commercial, sponsored by companies.

 Yes  Dan But with a need for a Good Status That is the Truth of most Visas, Work Permits issued to a Chinese national to me needs to be Looked at  Thoroughly, Why for instance can't a Local work in a casino for one thing? Cos that is the crux of the matter? or is it where DU 30 is concerned. I don't mean to go Political but................................ 

[hk blues]

35 minutes ago, OnMyWay said:

I saw it stated in many articles that billions of pesos of taxes are being avoided.  This one says they are looking for 22 billion.

From Chinese businesses or in total?

Avoided or evaded?  

[OnMyWay]

8 minutes ago, Jack Peterson said:

Work Permits issued to a Chinese national to me needs to be Looked at  Thoroughly, Why for instance can't a Local work in a casino for one thing?

I agree.  The main reason I hear is that speaking Mandarin or Cantonese is a requirement.

Working in a Casino is different.  Most of this online gambling is not done in a regular casino.  They are just rooms set up with a table and a couple of people and a camera.  I would assume the casinos have mostly Filipino employees.  Perhaps @scott h can comment as he has been to some of the Manila casinos.

The whole thing stinks.  The more I learn, the more I hate POGO.  Greed, corruption and crime at it's best.

 

 

[OnMyWay]

9 minutes ago, hk blues said:

From Chinese businesses or in total?

Avoided or evaded?  

Quote the article:

"The DOF earlier said it eyed at least P22 billion in annual income taxes from Chinese and other foreign nationals employed in Philippine offshore gaming operations."

When I looked at at the BI visa list, there were also a lot of Indonesians getting commercial visas.  When I googled the companies, they also appeared to be gambling related.  So this is a big thing in Indonesia too.  I would bet that gambling is also illegal in Indonesia, like China.

[hk blues]

1 hour ago, OnMyWay said:

Quote the article:

"The DOF earlier said it eyed at least P22 billion in annual income taxes from Chinese and other foreign nationals employed in Philippine offshore gaming operations."

When I looked at at the BI visa list, there were also a lot of Indonesians getting commercial visas.  When I googled the companies, they also appeared to be gambling related.  So this is a big thing in Indonesia too.  I would bet that gambling is also illegal in Indonesia, like China.

Thank you OMW.

So, not necessarily only Chinese but most likely they are the biggest "culprits".  

I wonder if we are talking tax evasion or tax avoidance i.e. does the DOF wish to bring offshore gaming operations in to the remit of income tax OR is it already there but simply not being paid?  The wording "eyed" would suggest the former but it may just be bad use of the language.

In Hong Kong, offshore gambling on ships anchored just outside its jurisdiction is common and outside the remit of Hong Kong regulation so no tax laws being broken.  

[scott h]

7 hours ago, Jack Peterson said:

Why for instance can't a Local work in a casino for one thing?

The POGOs and casinos are completely different. Employees at the casinos are almost exclusively Filipino. The dealers, slot attendants, customer service and cashiers are all young an university graduates (English proficiency), the maintenance, security, landscapers and other non public relation jobs are also Filipino but not university grads.  I have not seen any Chinese working there, but quite a few Australians, Britons and Yankees working there, usually gaming and operational advisors. 

7 hours ago, OnMyWay said:

The more I learn, the more I hate POGO.

A POGO is really nothing more than a call center. The majority of the Chinese that work there are phone agents who speak Cantonese and mandarin. The security, maintenance, food service personnel and van drivers are Filipino.

Duterte just hates gambling (like smoking) it is one of his peeves.

6 hours ago, hk blues said:

tax avoidance

IMO it is avoidance, a kid flies in from china, gets a 30 day visa at the airport, gets picked up in a van and taken to a housing unit, then transported to work at the call center. We have all seen those "fixers" at the BI with handfuls of passports in their hands. I am willing to bet that a lot of those are for POGO workers. Extend 6 months at a time for two years. Flies out and repeat as needed.