Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) Commissioner Romeo Lumagui Jr. told President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. that the agency will implement a tax stamp system to determine the smuggled tobacco and vape products, Malacañang said Thursday.

Lumagui bared this during the 6th Private Sector Advisory Council-Agriculture Sector Group (PSAC-ASG) meeting in Malacañang earlier this week following Marcos’ directive to BIR and Bureau of Customs (BoC) to enhance tobacco industry protection against smuggling.

While Marcos acknowledged the government’s anti-smuggling initiatives, Malacañang said Marcos wanted the BoC and BIR to step up their enforcement.

“Enforcement and anti-smuggling and all that. You really have to beef them up and I think we’re doing that,” Marcos said.

“There will be (more efforts) with the Bureau of Customs and BIR so that we can improve performance (in) that regard,” Marcos added.

In the same meeting, Special Assistant to the President on Economic and Economic Affairs Frederick Go said the Department of Trade and Industry Consumer Protection Group assured him that a sizable team would be tasked with keeping an eye on the vape business.

For its part, the PSAC-ASG came up with a number of suggestions and policy requirements to protect the tobacco business.

As required by RA 4155, the advisory group pushed for the Department of Budget and Management to give the National Tobacco Authority the money it needs for the Sustainable Tobacco Enhancement Program.