Laoag
City—A one-year suspension of the value-added
tax (VAT) on basic food commodities, fuel, and electricity is an inflation
solution, given the persistently high inflation over the past several months,
suggested Ilocos Norte Governor Ma. Imelda Josefa “Imee” R. Marcos.
“The temporary lifting of the
VAT on basic commodities will provide urgent, much-needed relief to Filipinos,
as inflation hit the hardest in the countryside. The poor Filipinos, they
cannot wait for anti-inflation strategies that could take months to work. They
need solutions now,” Ms. Marcos pointed out.
“Filipinos cannot wait for
global oil prices to go down. Prices are already too high for Filipinos living
below the poverty line. Removing the VAT would lighten the burden on millions
of Filipino households and would make their Christmases litter lighter amidst
the high prices,” she added.
The TRAIN Law has Sections 31
to 34 (pages 31 to 44) pertaining to VAT. These sections amended the old
provisions of the Tax Code about VAT.
Ms. Marcos stressed: “The VAT
suspension will run parallel to the anti-inflation measures of the Duterte
economic team and Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. It will buy time to set our
economy back in shape.
“Wagi ang mahihirap kung mawawala ang VAT kahit isang taon lang; kung walang VAT, bababa ang presyo ng pagkain, gasoline, at kuryente,” she emphasized.
Though the President cannot
amend the law, he can suspend its implementation though an Executive Order
(EO).
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