Suspension ng Fuel Excise Tax at Vat nangangailangan ng legislation ayon sa House Committee on Ways and Means

Hindi basta-basta masususpendi ng gobyerno ang pangongolekta ng Value Added Tax o VAT at Excise Tax sa mga inaangkat na produktong Petrolyo.

Ito ang inihayag ni Congressman Joey Salceda Chairman ng House Committee on Ways and Means matapos ipahayag ni House Speaker Martin Romualdez na irerekomenda kay Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., ang tatlong buwang suspension ng paniningil ng VAT at Excise Tax sa mga imported oil products na binibili ng mga kumpanya ng langis upang mapigil pansamantala ang pagtaas ng presyo ng mga produktong petrolyo sa bansa hanggang December ngayong taon.

Sinabi ng kongresista na kailangang baguhin o amyendahan ang Tax Reform Inclusion Acceleration o TRAIN Law dahil ang suspension provision ng batas sa VAT at Excise Tax ay sa pagitan lamang ng taong 2018 hanggang 2020 sa sandaling pumalo sa 80 dollars per barrel ang presyo ng krudo sa world market kaya hindi na ito aplikable sa kasalukuyan.

Ayon sa House Ways and Means Committee mawawalan ang gobyerno ng 35.3 billion pesos sa sinisingil na Excise Tax at 23.4 billion pesos sa VAT o kabuuang 58.7 billion pesos.

Inihayag ng Kongresista sa halip na suspendihin ang paniningil ng vat at excise tax ay isubsidize ng pamahalaan ang pagbibigay ng fuel discount sa mga nasa sektor ng transportasyon, magsasaka at mangingisda kung saan gagastos ang gobyerno ng 4.867 billion pesos.

Ang pondo para sa fuel subsidy sa mga tsuper ng pampublikong sasakyan, magsasaka at mangingisda ay kukunin sa natitirang VAT at Excise tax collection sa inaangkat na langis na umaabot sa 9.3 billion pesos.

Pahayag ni congressman Joey Salceda

“We have to be careful with the Excise Tax and VAT suspension, because while world prices of oil go up and down, fiscal credibility is difficult to restore.

The immediate suspension of fuel excise taxes under the tax reform acceleration inclusion or train law is not available. The provision states that “for the period covering 2018 to 2020 only. Suspending fuel excise taxes will require legislation amending the provision to remove the 2018 to 2020 limitation.
A tariff reduction is also not available. Tariff rates on fuel have already reverted to zero from 10% as modified by eo 113 series of 2020.

To help the most adversely affected, we need fuel discounts for farmers, fisherfolk, and the transport sector.

As chairman of House Ways and Means Committee this is my proposal to House Speaker Martin Romualdez for consideration.

Immediate implementation of fuel discounts for the transport, farm, and fisheries sectors. Fuel discounts for these sectors will help prevent the second-round price effects of fuel spikes. Caveat: outright grants of cash aid could be inflationary, especially if given on a one-time basis. We need to seek COMELEC exemptions for disbursement and release pursuant to COMELEC resolution no. 10944 for these programs.”

1. A Pantawid Pasada program for some 180,000 jeepneys (for 30 liters a day) would amount to 5,040 pesos per driver to cushion the expected rise in oil prices from date of writing to end of the year. The total program cost would be 907 million pesos
2. A Pantawid Magsasaka program would require 2,800 pesos per hectare (400 liters per hectare) to cover the cost of fuel increases. for the current season, the cost of the program will be 3.36 billion pesos.
3. A Typical Fisherman will consume 60 liters from date to the rest of the year, or 420 pesos. A pantawid program for fisherfolk will cost a total of 924 million pesos.
4. Funding source for subsidies. VAT and Excise Tax collections from diesel and gasoline are expected to be at least 9.3 billion pesos.

Vic Somintac