FORMER Senator Manuel “Mar” Roxas III said on Wednesday, March 13, that he will push for the lifting of taxes on fuel products to bring down the prices of basic commodities in the country.
Roxas, who was in Bacolod City for his senatorial campaign sortie, said lifting the excise tax on fuel will lower transportation fares and prices of goods.
“If the cost of transportation is high, prices of goods are also expensive,” he said.
Roxas went to Burgos Public Market where he personally surveyed the prices of basic commodities including fish and vegetables.
He also held a dialogue with multisectoral groups at the Villamonte Gym.
Roxas' mother, Judy Araneta Roxas, hails from Negros Occidental.
Roxas also said that markets are the center of commerce in a community.
If there is a lot of money circulating, the markets are vibrant, Roxas continued.
He said the excise tax under the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (Train Law) is an additional P10 per liter.
“From my talks with vendors, they told me that prices of noodles and sardines will again go up from their current price because of the implementation of the Train Law 2,” Roxas said.
“We must do everything to stop the increase of the prices of basic commodities used by the public,” Roxas said.
He warned the public to expect higher prices because the Train Law has a second and third tranche.
What's worse is that there is conflict in Venezuela, one of the top oil producers in the world, Roxas said, as well as in the Middle East with the continuous threat from Isis.
“All these are pushing oil prices up worldwide,” he said.
Roxas also expressed his opposition on the proposed liberalization of the sugar industry as well as the rice tariffication law.
“Every time there is a problem on prices, the first solution of the Department of Agriculture is always to import products from other countries. Why is that always the situation? We have our own sugar and rice,” Roxas pointed out.
“The solution is the government should help Filipino farmers whether they are rice or sugar farmers. The government should give support to the farmers like access to the loan facilities so that they can modernize and could compete with other countries. In other countries, farmers are being supported by their respective governments,” he added. (TDE)