The digitalization of the tax agencies finds Congress eager “to modernize the labyrinthine tax administration procedures by simplifying tax compliance, removing redundant and obsolete tax requirements, and lifting restrictions that prevent taxpayers from complying with tax laws remotely.” With a vote of 250 “yes,” zero “no,” and zero abstentions, the 19th Congress approved on Sept. […]
Tag: bill
Small committee tasked to amend House’s P5.268-trillion budget bill
A SMALL committee has been appointed to amend the P5.268-trillion budget bill, which passed on third reading this week before the House of Representatives went on recess, according to majority leader Manuel Jose M. Dalipe, who will himself be a member of the amending team. Mr. Dalipe said the other members are House appropriations chairman […]
Bill seeks VAT threshold indexed to inflation
A BILL filed by Senator Sherwin T. Gatchalian to amend the tax code will index the threshold for value-added tax (VAT) exempt taxpayers to inflation, adjustable every three years. Mr. Gatchalian, who chairs the Senate Ways and Means Committee, filed Senate Bill 1346, dated Sept. 27, which adjusts the tax administration rules via amendments to […]
Editorial: Mandatory SIM card registration: Prelude to a surveillance state?
Amid the onslaught of fraudulent text messages, lawmakers have made their moves to make mobile subscriber identity module or SIM card registration mandatory.The chances of the proposed SIM Card Registration Act becoming a full-fledged law are now getting brighter, despite the opposition from human rights groups. This development came following the Congress’ Bicameral Conference Committee’s […]
Globe wants SIM registration law to require valid IDs
GLOBE Telecom, Inc. on Monday said the proposed law on the registration of subscriber identity modules (SIM) cards should require users to present verifiable identity documents. “There is a need for an authentic, verifiable source document that establishes a SIM holder’s identity,” Globe General Legal Counsel Froilan Vicente M. Castelo said in an e-mailed statement. […]
Lawmaker refiles Otop bill
A LAWMAKER has refiled a bill seeking to institutionalize the “One Town, One Product” (Otop) program to provide a solid support to the country’s growing micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).“The MSMEs should be supported financially and in terms of capacity building. They are the lifeblood of our economy, especially during this health crisis,” Sen. […]
SIM card bill OK’d on 3rd reading
CONGRESSMEN on Monday approved on third reading a bill that will require the registration of subscriber identity modules (SIM) cards to prevent mobile phone scams. Voting 250-6 with one abstention, the chamber approved House Bill 14, or the proposed Subscriber Identity Module Card Registration Act. Under the bill, telecommunication companies are tasked with the safekeeping […]
House body approves freelance bill
THE HOUSE of Representatives labor committee on Monday approved a measure that seeks to protect the rights of freelance workers and ensure they work under humane conditions. Consolidated House Bill 615 directs the employer and freelance worker to sign a hiring contract. Pangasinan Rep. Christopher V.P. De Venecia, who filed the bill, said freelancers are […]
Senate bill to outlaw online gambling
A SENATOR has filed a bill that seeks to make online gambling illegal in the Philippines. “The social cost of gambling is too high — bankruptcy, broken families and criminal activities, among others,” Senator Emmanuel Joel J. Villanueva said in Senate Bill 1281’s explanatory note. The social cost for each pathological gambler is $9,393 yearly […]
House OK’s bill deferring village elections
THE HOUSE of Representatives on Tuesday passed on second reading a bill that seeks to postpone village and youth elections to next year. House Bill 4673 calls for the elections to be moved to the first Monday of December 2023 from Dec. 5. Under the bill, future elections will be held every three years starting […]
House bill seeks to confer ‘national significance’ status to gas projects
A BILL filed in the House of Representatives proposes to classify natural gas projects as strategic, entitling them to expedited permit processes. House Bill 4097 seeks to grant the sector’s projects the status of “Energy Projects of National Significance” (EPNS). It was filed by Davao Rep. Paolo Z. Duterte, Benguet Rep. Eric G. Yap, and […]
Senate targets passage of 2023 budget bill by mid-December
THE SENATE is hoping to pass its 2023 budget bill by mid-December, according to the senator who chairs the upper chamber’s Finance Committee. “We start the DBCC hearings on Tuesday… and hope to finish our committee hearings in early to mid-October; then plenary debates in early to mid-November leading up to the passage of the […]
Bill to double subsidies to state workers
A BILL doubling the monthly subsidy given to government employees, military and uniformed personnel to P4,000 has been filed at the Senate. “With the worsening inflation rate or the increasing costs of some common services and products purchased by consumers, the amount of personnel economic relief allowance received by government workers is no longer significant,” […]
Senate to probe rampant text scams; House body approves SIM card bill
By Alyssa Nicole O. Tan, Reporter A SENATOR has filed a resolution seeking to investigate rampant “personalized text scams” that use spam and phishing to victimize Filipinos. “It is alarming that while major telecommunication providers claim to have already blocked a significant number of spam and phishing text messages, the problem continues to hound many […]
Senate bill to ban junk food in schools
A SENATOR has filed a bill that seeks to ban junk food and sugary drinks in public schools, citing worsening obesity and malnutrition among young Filipinos. Senator Manual “Lito” M. Lapid’s Senate Bill 1231 or the Healthy Food and Beverage in Public Schools bill will ban the sale, distribution and promotion of junk food and […]
Evacuation center in every city sought
A SENATOR has filed a bill that seeks to set up evacuation centers in every Philippine city. If passed, Senate Bill 940 or the Evacuation Center Act will help people displaced by natural disasters, calamities, severe climate disturbances, fire and disease outbreak, among other things. “We should no longer be using classrooms as evacuation centers, […]
House panel OK’s substitute bill for village, youth council election postponement
A SUBSTITUTE bill postponing the December 2022 village and youth council elections to 2023 has been approved by the House Committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms. “Through series of approved motions in the last meeting, we agreed as a committee to craft a substitute bill, consolidating more than thirty bills filed,” Mountain Province Rep. Maximo […]
EXPLAINER: Special coordinating body for Mega/Metro Cebu in separate bills of Cutie del Mar, Edu Rama. Who will lead? Legislated rules may remove old roadblock: Cebu City feeling superior to other LGUs.
TWO BILLS, SAME SUBJECT. House Bill (HB) 00961 was filed last June 30 by Representative Marguerite Rachel “Cutie” Del Mar (BOPK) of Cebu City’s north district. It was actually the fourth filing, since the same bill was filed by her father, the late congressman Raul Del Mar, in the past three terms, the 16th, the […]
Lawmaker renews call to scrap oil excise tax, VAT amid rising prices
A CONGRESSMAN has urged President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. to push the scrapping of the excise tax and 12% value-added tax (VAT) on petroleum products as face-to-face classes resumed. Party-list Rep. Arlene D. Brosas issued the call after a new round of oil price increases took effect on Tuesday. “The quickest way to bring down […]
DOF unveils fiscal priority reforms under Marcos admin
THE Department of Finance (DOF) presented to the 19th Congress fiscal priority reforms as part of the Marcos administration’s Medium Term Fiscal Framework (MTFF) to steer the country back to a high growth trajectory.“We will work for the passage of the remaining tax reform packages of the Duterte administration, along with other key policy measures […]