Bayan Munaand No need for additional taxes, just effectively collect current taxes

MANILA - Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate today said that the proposed taxes floated by the Department of Finance (DOF) and some members of Congress will only become added burden to Filipino consumers, particularly the poor, and should be opposed.Among the revenue measures recently floated by the DOF and some members of Congress are the excise taxes on oil products, taxes on vanity products, electronics, sugar, salt and even on the drug Viagra. Instead of raising more regressive taxes, what should be done is for the revenue collection agencies under the DOF to increase its collection efficiency. These agencies – BIR and BOC – should not rely mainly on indirect consumption taxes like the value added tax and excise taxes, which would hit the poor the hardest because it is ultimately passed on to consumers regardless of their salaries, Rep. Zarate said in a statement to and//www.ndbcnews.com.ph www.ndbcnews.com.ph Burdening the poor even more while protecting the rich and big corporations is very regressive and characteristic of the neoliberal economic policies of past administrations that are still being pushed by the current economic advisers of the administration, added the Davao-based progressive solon. Parang sa SSS lang din yan ang kailangan lang ay magsipag sila at kolektahin ang contributions ng tama ay di na dapat magtaas pa ng contributions. Dapat galingan ng BIR and BOC ang koleksyon at pigilan ang korapsyon sa kanilang mga ahensya para hindi na kailangan pa ng bagong mga buwis o pagtataas ng mga lumang buwis pa, said Rep. ZarateDOF data showed that in 2012, BIR’s the loss revenues amounted to P400 billion or 4% of the country’s GDP. On the other hand, also in 2012, the BOC had P200 billion revenue loss as well. The inefficiency in revenue collection is glaring. Kung makokolekta nga lang annually maski yung BOC P200 Billion losses ay malaki pa ito sa makukuha sa proposed oil excise tax. Kung makokolekta pa ang P400 Billion na revenue losses ng BIR, ay walang dahilan para magpataw pa ng bagong burdensome taxes, he added. We hope that the DOF would listen and follow Pres. Duterte’s instruction last August to lift anti-poor and gender biased taxes and not add more tax burden to the public, ended Rep. Zarate.