MANILA -- President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III’s promise was not broken.
This was the argument of Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda against those saying that the President failed to keep his promise not to impose new taxes by approving the implementation of value added tax (VAT) on tolls starting August 16.
Lacierda stressed that the VAT on toll has been provided for under an existing law and just needed to be implemented.
“It is a VAT law. The VAT has been there prior to the administration of President Aquino,” he said, referring to the amended VAT law in 2005, which states that franchise receipts or any services provided by franchise holders should be subject to VAT.
He pointed out that the President did not break his promise not to impose new taxes since what he implemented was just an existing tax and not a new one.
He said this tax was supposed to be collected since 2005 but was not carried out during the administration of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
“It not true that this is a new tax, because as what BIR commissioner Kim Henares has said this has been imposed a long time ago.” (Jill Beltran/Sunnex)