Roxas pushes for immediate passage of minimum wage tax break

Senator Mar Roxas said he will push for the immediate passage of his bill to exempt minimum wage earners from paying income taxes when Congress resumes session in April, saying that workers need relief in the face of socioeconomic pressures.

He said he supports the call of the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines urging Congress to pass the bill as part of the upcoming Labor Day celebration on May 1. The Liberal Party President, however, added that it also takes political will on the part of the administration to have this bill passed.

“Paparating na naman ang Labor Day, pero itong isang pangako ng administrasyon sa ating mga manggagawa ay hindi pa rin napatutupad. Patuloy pa rin ba silang aasa sa wala, sa gitna ng kagipitan?” he said.

“Giving a tax break to minimum wage earners is imperative in light of the increasing prices of fuel and of food. It will only take a determined push from the President to get the ball rolling in the administration-dominated House,” he said, noting that all tax measures should emanate from the House of Representatives, as required by the Constitution.

Roxas earlier filed Senate Bill No. 103 seeking to exempt from income tax all minimum wage earners and all government employees from Salary Grades 1 to 3. The Senate Committee on Ways and Means has tackled the bill, but is awaiting House action before it could transmit its report to plenary.

As the TUCP noted, the bill would exempt about half a million workers from paying income taxes. Although the Finance department has estimated a revenue impact of P951 million, Roxas said this would be outweighed by the increased spending and savings among minimum wage earners.

“Sa panahon ngayon na pataas nang pataas ang presyo ng bigas, langis at iba pang mga mahahalagang produkto, ito ay isang kongkretong solusyon na magbibigay kaginhawaan sa ating mga manggagawa,” he said.