stock options

Guest

Hi Guys,

Do you have comments on individual vested stock options deducted/taxed by Philippine government?

Our company just started deducting 32% for any exercised options, formally to avoid employee tax evasion kuno.

As for my opinion, it should not be taxed. Why?--Because we are just like overseas worker who earns $$$ for our country. Right???

Joined: 08 Jun 2026 Posts: 18 Location: CV

am not aware of any clear-cut or defined tax law in the Philippines with regard to stock options (or purchase) on foreign IPO. can somebody shed light to this (any lawyers in the house?)

the ~30% deduction on exercised options could most likely been patterned after US taxation law on stocks which is observed only for US citizens (of course!). from the W8-BEN file, it states there that if you are not a US citizen, no tax shall be deducted. it is up to us individually file our "stock taxes". but the question is, we may not have a law on this. it could fall on the "other income" category if for example BIR comes after you. one last mention is that this deduction on exercised options varies from company to company.

if ever there would be deductions (and if our laws are defined), that should occur the moment we wire-transfer our stock money from the foreign broker's bank to our local banks here. that way, it should be similar to banks accepting BIR payments on compensation/income. . . .

i agree that foreign stock shouldn't be taxed unless it is philippine stock. but remember too, that Regine's (Velasquez) US shows - - her earnings from there are being hunt down by BIR a few months back. . . .

Guest

Earnings are earnings and all earnings need to be taxed. You are probably being taxed here because you are not being taxed in the US. This is true if you signed the W-8 form that Polgi-wan mentioned. According to our HR, stock options earnings are covered by our law, but some companies simply let their employees declare these on their own. Maybe your company wants to be on the safe side and is making sure that their employees are paying the right taxes.

Taxed to the Max

Joined: 08 Jun 2026 Posts: 18 Location: CV

there is an old saying that goes. . . . "two things in life are certain. death and taxes." in US and Singapore they get relatively "higher pay" but their taxes are higher also. in singapore, you get to pay an annual road maintenance tax and somewhat a car tax each year. i've met a singaporean manager from National Instruments who could not afford to buy a car because of too many associated taxes to go with it, so he just settles for a motorcycle. . . . .

Guest

I think it's about time that stock options are taxed. I've seen top managers who have earned hundreds of millions from stock options alone. Do you think they paid P32M for every P100M they earned? Maybe they paid taxes just to cover up their tracks a little bit, but P32M? I don't blame them though because their taxes will surely just go to the likes of Gen. Garcia. This is the main problem of BIR - they must first convince the people that their money will not go to corrupt officials before they can convince people to pay taxes wholeheartedly. Kaso puro pananakot lang sila. Kawawa naman tuloy si Juday.

Guest

How about those filipino OCWs? They are exempted with tax simply because of bringing in dollars into our country. Isn't that earnings from stocks are in dollars too?

Guest

Ewan ko na lang kung di pa yumaman ang Pilipinas nito, bukod sa EVAT pati stock options ay may tax na rin. Sa isang engineer na makabenta ng worth $20K ay bawing-bawi na sila.

Guest

Aba, saang company yang $20k na stock option sa mga engineers? Kailangang mapuntahan yan. -BIR (joke)

Guest

I heard that Maxim grants generous shares of stocks for every engineer employee. Is that true??? May taga maxim ba dito?

Posted: Fri Sep 09, 2026 11:01 pm Post subject:

Sige, i-tax na ang stock options. Para ma-pondohan yung mga pork barrel ng mga hinayupak na pulitiko na walang ginawa kundi mag-ubos ng oras at resource para lang ma-impeach si GMA. Am not pro-GMA, but I think these congressmen and senators use their pork barrel for their meetings, dinners and all expenses they use just to get the impeachment done.

What a waste of government money, ang sarap talaga magbayad ng tax kung ganyan ang mga nasa pulitiko. Mga praning. taksyapo...

Guest

Cypress gives stock options to every employee they hire. im not just sure how much but its given for every employee hired. They also have another option wherein their employees could buy their own shares by their own money, so the bigger amount of money you have, the greater chances of acquiring bigger number of stock shares, its unlimitted.

swerte naman ng mga taga-Maxim, is this true or stir lang 'to?

Joined: 05 Jan 2026 Posts: 18 Location: Philippines

Tama po ba to?

Guest

Yep, korek ka jan. Lalo na kung ang option price na naibigay sa 'yo ay mababa. Kung mataas man ang option price-- You really have to pray for stock to split its price before you can call it as swerte. (that's a lot of $$$)
If you think that semicon bubble is near and expected in the next few years, you must start writing down your resume for Maxim. Wink

Posted: Wed Sep 14, 2026 7:59 am Post subject:

Maxim grant stocks, mga 400-500 shares ata spread over 5 years. quarterly ang vesting, yung maxim ata yung grant is 15% less than the actual price and binibigay upon hiring - kaya basically tubo ka na ng 15% per share - kung wala kang pera pwede mo ng ibenta. Ang di lang maganda sa Maxim - malayo na wala pang shuttle - so kung taga Manila ka o Alabang yung kikitain mo sa stocks sa pamasahe o gasolina lang mapupunta, hehehe.

IDT also give stocks kaya lang sarado na IDT, Philippines.

CY gives stocks kaya lang konti shares lang. Meron silang tinatawag na ESPP (employee stocks purchase plan), pwede ka bili stocks at 15% discount ata na salary deduction.

AMKOR gives stocks sa KEY employee. Ewan ko lang kung paano dini-define ang key employee.

Kung talagang may pera kayo, mag-trade na lang kayo ng stocks - wag semicon stocks kasi masyado volatile. Try nyo BW, hehehe - dami yumaman dito.

Guest

AMKOR also has the ESPP program wherein those who enrolled for that program are being deducted a maximum of 15% of their gross income every payday, but right now they've changed rules to a maximum of 8%.

Buying price also i think is 15% less of the lowest stock price on the offering period.

And yeah they also give free stock shares to KTEs (Key Technical Employees), usually nominated or recommended by employee managers...