THIS item is my personal way of making an illustration on the impending approval of the Tax Reform Package. It was a hot topic in our meeting among my friends from Monday Club and Wednesday Club. These two fellowship groups are sort of marketplaces for ideas. The majority said the bill is anti-poor. It will cost the young Senator Sonny Angara his reelection bid in the years to come. They won't forget the same way when the voters didn't vote for then reelectionist Senator Ralph Recto who primarily sponsored an Expanded Value.
The economists in the Duterte's administration are claiming that the economy will expand by more than 6 percent. It doesn't mean anything to many, particularly those in the lower bracket. It's a lopsided distribution of the benefits assuming that the expansion is true? It is not the gravity type of expansion. The growth hasn't cascaded to the poor. During this holiday season, the few money in a worker's pay envelope surely will be snatched by Mr. Henry Sy, Mr. John Gokongwei, the Ayalas, Mr. Lucio Co and other giant retailers. And if you are a common employee whose salary, say P20 thousand can have a net of P16 thousand due to the government's tax deduction of 20 percent. And your P16 thousand will further be cut by another 12 percent value added tax (VAT) on your purchases. And the excise taxes on fuel and other commodities. The disposable incomes of the common workers will be further eroded. Senator Angara, can't you see through this? We are overburdened by taxes already. Enough is enough.
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The iconic jeepney will no longer be seen on the streets by January next year, if President Duterte will make good his threat that those who defy the phase out will be arrested and their units be impounded.
rI posed a query in my Facebook wall and asked my 5,000 FB friends if they do agree on the jeepney phaseout. Only one said No. There were varied reasons from my friends. Jey McGee expressed an apprehension that the amount of the E-jeep which may cost anywhere from P1.3 to P1.5 million is not affordable to the common jeepney drivers. And that the P20K payable in 5 years with 6 percent interest rates per annum will burden the jeepney driver.
All the issues about the jeepney phase out should be made public. The Department of Transport under Secretary Art Tugade should utilize both social and mainstream media on this latest move of government. Explain and clarify. They have to explain how much is government subsidy. That the E-Jeepney will carry 22 passengers and that it has less fuel consumption and less maintenance during the five year period. The increase in earnings will be enough for the monthly amortization, etc, etc.
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