MANILA - A commuter group has appealed to President Rodrigo Duterte to scrap the implementation of excise taxes on petroleum products under the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law.
With the existing 12-percent VAT and the decrease in world crude prices, there is "no need" to implement the second and third tranches of the excise tax on fuel, United Filipino Consumers and Commuters President Rj Javellana said.
"Ang aming panawagan ay malinaw po (Our plea is clear): no more excise tax on petroleum products. It’s Christmas time, it’s up to the President," Javellana said in an interview on ANC's Business Nightly Thursday.
"Luwagan naman niya ang sinturon ng publiko, pamasko na lang niya sa atin itong darating na mga buwan at 'wag na ituloy ang excise tax na ito," he added.
(Help the public loosen their belts as his Christmas gift for us and do not push through with this excise tax.)
The administration's economic managers on Thursday said they would recommend the implementation of the second round of fuel excise taxes after world oil prices fell from $80 per barrel in October.
The TRAIN law had scheduled excise tax increases every year for 3 years starting Jan. 1, 2018.
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