Instead of imposing new and higher taxes on the economically-challenged public, the Department of Finance should instead make the incoming First Family pay for the P203-billion unpaid estate tax that they owe to the Philippine government.

“Hindi dapat mabura at makalimutan ang P203-billion. Utang ito ng mga Marcos na dapat bayaran sa kaban ng bayan. Ang mga inutang ni Duterte dapat singilin sa mga multibilyonaryo gaya ng pamilyang Villar, Razon, Sy, Tan, at iba pa.

KMP together with other groups have persistently demanded for the suspension of excise and value added tax on oil to lower petroleum prices that also affect the prices of farm inputs like fertilizer.

“Ang hinihingi namin, suspensyon sa buwis sa langis. Bakit dagdag buwis ang gustong ipataw ng Department of Finance at ni Sonny Dominguez?”

Outgoing finance secretary Carlos Dominguez proposes that the upcoming administration implement new tax measures, defer reduction on personal income taxes, and expand the coverage of the VAT to generate payment for debts incurred under President Rodrigo Duterte’s watch, particularly borrowings supposedly used for the COVID response. Among the tax measures considered include an excise tax on motorcycles, VAT on digital service providers, the excise tax on luxury goods, carbon tax, the excise tax on single-use plastics, and the tax on cryptocurrencies.

“We are already paying high-record debts. The country’s outstanding debt is now at P12.68-trillion and is expected to balloon to a record P13.42-trilliom by year-end. Why make the poor to middle-income Filipinos shoulder the heavy debt burden when it is Duterte and his economic managers who decided to continue borrowing on their own whim and indulgence? Citing data from IBON Foundation, KMP said that out of the P5.5-trillion gross borrowings for 2020 and 2021, the government only spent P616-billion on COVID response. 
Anong pinagsasabing pambayad sa inutang para sa COVID ang mga bagong buwis samantalang parang karayom sa dayami ang natanggap na ayuda ng masa. The slim trickle down of ayuda wasn’t even felt by those in need of economic relief,” according to KMP chairperson Danilo Ramos.

Ramos said Duterte’s indulgences — infrastructure, militarism, more debts, and lower taxes on the rich led to even more debts. We strongly oppose the new wave of taxes proposed by the DOF.

The DOF’s proposal is only fiscal consolidation for the elite and the super-rich and added burden for the Filipino masses especially workers, farmers, and poor sectors. ###