Photo From Ariel Raule/THEPHILBIZNEWS
Senator Grace Poe called for the immediate suspension of the excise tax on fuel, believing that the time to do it is “now or sooner.”
Poe was one of the 17 senators who asked President Rodrigo Duterte through a letter to support the proposed suspension of the said tax in Congress.
“The time to suspend the excise tax increase is now or sooner, not in January 2019,” she said in a statement.
She added, “That is per se allowed as a safeguard in the TRAIN Law under RA 10963.”
Under the law, the government can only suspend the tax on fuel if international prices of the Dubai crude reach an average of $80 per barrel for three consecutive months. And this it what Poe pointed out that in the legislation, emphasizing that the people’s welfare should come first.
“If it will make life harder for people, suspend it,” she said.
The Senator expressed his deep concern on how the poor have become poorer and how inflation has made the people’s lives more difficult.
“The huge spikes in prices of basic commodities and oil prices are substantial, and all indications of greater poverty,” she said.
Being the chair of the Senate committee on public services, Poe had conducted public hearings in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao to find out the effects of the Train law.
She expressed gratitude that their plea to suspend the excise tax is reportedly now being considered by President Rodrigo Duterte himself.
“We are grateful that the President is considering this,” she further said.
It was also Poe who called the quick release of calamity fund to affected regions after Typhoon Ompong devasted North Luzon.
Read related story:
Senator Poe urges quick release of calamity fund to affected regions
http://thephilbiznews.com/2018/09/15/senator-poe-urges-quick-release-of-calamity-fund-to-affected-regions/
