Gov’t think tank proposes casino entry fee for Filipinos

The Philippine government has discovered a new way to tap into the country’s thriving gambling industry—create new taxes.

The National Tax Research Center (NTRC) recently came out with several ways to draw out revenue from “selected gambling and betting activities in the Philippines.” Among the suggestions was to create a new law that will impose a PHP3,500 ($74) entry fee on Filipino residents who use the country’s casinos.

According to the government think tank, that fee can be considered an “economic test” on the people who wish to enter a local casino. Under a presidential decree, Filipino residents with gross income of at least PHP50,000 are allowed to play in casinos, but the center said the “provision is neither observed nor imposed.”

“Thus, the [new] bill aims to discourage Filipinos from playing in casinos,” NTRC said in a note. “The proposal to charge an entrance fee in Philippine casinos amounting to PHP3,500 is supported since it would only be collected from those who have the financial capacity to splurge some money in the casinos.”