Philippine Tax Authority Warning! Selling TIN tax cards online is illegal

The Philippine Bureau of Taxation (BIR) has again warned the public not to purchase "personal tax identification cards" or TIN tax cards from social media or any online platform.

In a statement, Romeo Jr., director of the BIR, said: "TIN tax cards are not Lumagui for sale and are only issued by the BIR through its authorized personnel, so all TIN tax cards sold through online channels/sales platforms are not authorized by the agency. In addition, the application for TIN tax card is free, do not need to participate, please do not be deceived or misled by such goods or behavior. We have launched a number of operations in the past few months and arrested several individuals for illegally selling TIN tax cards."

At the same time, service providers or individuals who sell TIN tax cards can face fines and imprisonment for violating Article 257 of the 1997 tax law, that is, selling and forging ID cards.

The public can report any violation of Philippine laws and domestic tax laws to the contact_us@bir.gov.ph through the hotline (632)8538-3200 or by email to the Ministry of Commerce.