Vape company ipinasasara ng Kamara

NANAWAGAN ang Kamara de Representantes sa Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC),  sa Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) at sa Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) na buwagin ang negosyo ng Flava, isang kompanya ng vape, sinabing patuloy na lumalabag sa batas.

Ayon kay Albay Rep. Joey Salceda, Chairman ng House Committee on Ways and Means, sandamakmak ang paglabag ng Flava sa “Vaping law” ng bansa partikular ang pagbebenta sa mga menor de edad.

Ang komite ni Salceda ay naglabas ng resolusyon nitong 20 Pebrero 2024 matapos ang pag-iimbestiga nito sa Flava kaugnay ng paglabag sa batas gaya ng tax evasion, pagbebenta ng vape sa menor de edad.

Ayon sa committee report, lumabag ang Flava sa Republic Act (RA) No. 11900, o ang Vaporized Nicotine and Non-Nicotine Products Regulation Act.

“The DTI should revoke the business license and permit of Flava Corporation for violations of RA 11900. The DTI should conduct surveillance and initiate the confiscation and removal of all Flava vapor products and electronic cigarettes from the market,” ayon sa resolusyon ng House Ways and Means Committee.

Nakasaad din sa report ng komite, iniuutos sa DTI na kompiskahin ang mga stocks ng Flava sa merkado.

Ani Salceda, kinakailangang imbestigahan din ng SEC ang Flava dahil sa sinabing “fraudulent conduct of business, a violation of the Revised Corporation Code.”

“The SEC may also invoke its powers under Section 138 of the Revised Corporation Code to dissolve motu proprio the incorporation of Flava Corporation upon final judgement that said corporation was created for the purpose of committing smuggling and tax evasion, among others,” ani Salceda.

         Napag-alamam ng komite na ini-import ng Flava ang kanilang mga produkto mula sa China.

“Based on the facts and evidence obtained by the Committee, it appears clear that Flava Corporation has no existing capacity to manufacture the products marketed under its brands,” ayon sa report ng komite.

“If Flava… imported the products, it shall have violated its brand registration with the BIR,” saad ng report.

“…as Flava Corporation was unable to prove that it licitly imports (there are no brands registered for import) or manufactures (no facility was found capable of manufacturing), then all of its products in the market are suspect,” anang report.

Nanawagan din ang Kamara sa BIR na agarang suspendihin ang “business operation” ng Flava dahil sa tax evasion.

Ayon kay Cagayan de Oro City Second District Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, co-chair ng Ways and Means Committee,  aabot sa P728 milyon ang nawalang buwis dahil sa technical malversation kaugnay sa P1.43-bilyong halaga ng vape products na hinihinalang ‘pinalusot’ ng Flava.

Hindi umano, idineklara ng Flava ang tamang ingredient na ipinarating ng kompanya upang bumaba ang babayarang buwis kagaya ng freebase nicotine na may mas mababang excise tax rate kaysa nicotine salt.

After laboratory testing, it was learned that Flava had underdeclared its vape imports by mislabeling its ingredient as freebase nicotine, which has a lower excise tax rate, instead of nicotine salt na kanilang parating.

Dahil sa paglabag sa National Internal Revenue Code (NIRC) o Tax Code, “the Committee also recommends that cases be filed fining Flava Corporation under Section 263 of the NIRC.”

“Under Section 23 of RA 11900, ‘the BIR shall order the immediate recall, ban or seizure from public sale or distribution of vaporized nicotine and non-nicotine products or novel tobacco products not registered with the BIR, including those sold online,” ayon sa report ng komite.

         “Any imported Flava Corporation e-cigarette cannot be properly considered ‘registered with the BIR’ and is therefore subject to recall, ban, and seizure,” saad ng komite.

Bukod sa BIR, hinimok din ni Salceda ang Bureau of Customs (BoC) na asuntohin ang Flava dahil sa smuggling.

Ayon kay Rodriguez at kay Surigao del Norte Second District Rep. Robert Ace Barbers nararapat din na hulihin ng Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) ang mga assets at pera ng kompanya sa banko.

“We cannot be partial — all wrongdoers must be prosecuted. Nobody should mess with our laws, especially our Vaporized Products Law,” ayon kay Barbers. (GERRY BALDO)