BEN KRITZ
A controversy that should not have been allowed to pass as quickly as it did emerged earlier this month when Solicitor General Jose Calida issued an opinion that Philippine offshore gaming operations, better known as POGOs, cannot be subjected to income tax because they derive their income offshore. Almost everyone who does not profit directly from the POGO industry reacted with fury at this unwelcome bit of news, including this paper, whose editorial suggested that unless POGOs could be taxed, they are of little value to the country.