Duterte okays new sin taxes
Credit to Author: Catherine S. Valente, TMT| Date: Thu, 23 Jan 2020 03:54:28 +0000
President Rodrigo Duterte has signed into law a bill increasing the excise tax rates on liquor and heated tobacco and vapor products.
Palace spokesman Salvador Panelo and Sen. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go confirmed this in a text message to The Manila Times.
Go said the new law also expanded the coverage of value-added tax-exempt sales and importation of medicines.
“The President signed into law a bill entitled: ‘An Act Amending Sections 109, 141,142, 143, 144, 147, 152, 263-A, 265, and 288-A, and Adding a New Section 290-A to Republic Act No. 8424, as Amended, otherwise known as the National Internal Revenue Code of 1997, and for Other Purposes,’” Go said.
He said the President vetoed Section 5 of the measure prohibiting search and seizure by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) without prior court order as “this curtails the power of the State to collect taxes and restrains the enforcement power of the BIR on taxable articles.”
“The new law also provides framework for Food and Drug Administration to regulate the manufacture, distribution and use of heated tobacco products and vapor products in the country,” Go said.
“The new law as public health measure is intended to protect the public health from ill effects of sin products and also ensures equitable access and affordable healthcare services to every Filipino through additional revenues for the implementation of RA 1123, otherwise known as the Universal Health Care (UHC) Act,” he added.