A PARTY-LIST lawmaker on Saturday voiced concern that new tax measures being pushed by the Duterte administration would be a “double punch” against the poor who rely on cut-price manufactured goods as their staple meal.
Anakpawis party-list Rep. Ariel Casilao said House Bill 5636 or the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusive Act and HB 5845 Trans-fat Tax or HB 5845 was counterproductive.
“While TRAIN will add more taxes on petroleum products, aside from its other features, the trans-fat will be targeting the already desperate choice of the poor for food such as noodles, canned goods and even ‘chicheria’,” Casilao said.
Casilao said the trans-fat tax bill “will totally condemn the already hungry poor to worsened starvation.”
Casilao said that there are other remedies to promote good health and nutrition among Filipinos.
Another lawmaker on Tuesday said that the proposed excise tax on processed products with salt was “anti-poor” as it will result in an increase of prices of noodles, sardines and similar food products.
Based on the computation of the Philippine Chamber of Food Manufacturers Inc. during the last congressional hearing conducted by the House committee on ways and means, chaired by Quirino Rep. Dakila Cua, a P6.85 noodle pack now would be around P800 if the proposal is enacted.
HB 3179, filed by Masbate Rep. Scott Davies Lanete, proposes to impose P1 excise tax for every milligram of sodium “in excess of one-third of allowable daily intake of sodium chloride as prescribed by the Department of Health.”
“Clearly, the primary goal of these measures is to increase taxes and the poor ordinary people will be burdened once again. The poor have little or no income at all and most of the times they have no choice but to buy cheap non-nutritious food,” Zarate said. “This bill is definitely anti-poor and must be opposed,” Zarate added.
In filing the bill, Lanete, a doctor, said “sin taxes” on sodium have been imposed in some countries, including Vietnam, Uganda, Tanzania, Suriname, Sri Lanka, Panama, Morocco, Kenya and Jordan as this was proven in studies that it contributed to increased risk of deadly diseases.
