Sinimulan na ng House Committee on Ways and Means ang pagtalakay sa panukalang income tax reform ng Marcos administration na inaasahang pakikinabangan ng tinatayang 4.2 milyong manggagawang Pilipino.
Sa briefing ng Department of Finance nitong Martes, binigyang-diin ni committee chair at Marikina Rep. Miro Quimbo na layunin ng panukala na tugunan ang kalagayan ng tinatawag na “missing middle”—mga manggagawang regular na nagbabayad ng buwis ngunit hindi kuwalipikado sa ayuda ng pamahalaan.
“The President’s policy directive during his penultimate SONA to initiate income tax reform has struck a chord with millions of Filipino workers. The proposal resonates because it finally addresses the concerns of the country’s ‘missing middle.’ These are lower and middle-income workers — the backbone of our economy — who faithfully pay taxes every payday but fall through the cracks: unseen by our policies and ineligible for government assistance,” ani Quimbo.
Ayon sa mambabatas, karamihan sa wage increases mula nang ipatupad ang TRAIN Law noong 2018 ay pantapat lamang sa inflation. Dahil hindi nagbago ang P250,000 tax-exempt threshold, maraming manggagawa ang muling naging taxable kahit hindi naman totoong lumaki ang kanilang purchasing power.
“Salary adjustments intended merely to keep pace with the rising cost of living have caused many workers to exceed the PHP250,000 threshold and become taxable once again,” ani Quimbo.
Ang purchasing power ng humigit-kumulang P28,000 buwanang sahod ngayon ay katumbas lamang umano ng mabibili ng P21,000 noong 2018.
Dahil dito, suportado ni Quimbo ang pagtataas sa annual tax-exempt income threshold mula P250,000 patungong P350,000.
Nilinaw niyang taxable income, hindi gross annual compensation, ang pagbabatayan. Matapos ibawas ang mandatory deductions at tax-exempt benefits, maaari pa ring hindi magbayad ng income tax ang manggagawang kumikita ng tinatayang P410,800 kada taon.
Batay umano sa Labor Force Survey, nasa 4.2 milyong manggagawa ang makikinabang. Kabilang dito ang 1.3 milyon na muling magiging tax-exempt, 1.2 milyon na unang pagkakataong magiging exempt, at mga bagong papasok sa labor force.
“This reform will increase the take-home pay of low- and middle-income workers, and is in effect, a wage increase without imposing additional labor costs on employers,” ani Quimbo.
Sinusuportahan din niya ang pagtanggal sa two-percent minimum corporate income tax para sa kuwalipikadong micro at small enterprises na maliit o walang net profit.
Gayunman, kailangan umanong bumuo ng patas na compensatory measures dahil mababawasan ang koleksiyon ng pamahalaan.
“That is the balance we seek and that is the commitment of the Committee,” ani Quimbo. /Bistado