Makabayan bets on Saturday (March 1) mark the start of Women鈥檚 Month with calls to lower the prices of basic goods and junk Value Added Tax on essential commodities. (Photo by Gabriela Women鈥檚 Party)
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MANILA, Philippines 鈥� Gabriela Party-list and Makabayan senatorial candidates on Saturday marked the start of the Women鈥檚 Month with calls to lower the prices of basic goods and junk the Value Added Tax (VAT) on essential commodities.
According to Gabriela Party-list Representative and senatorial candidate Arlene Brosas, women carry the weight of economic crisis, especially in managing finances in a household.
鈥淪ila ang nagbabalanse ng kakarampot na budget. Sila ang nagtitiis ng gutom para may makain ang kanilang mga anak,鈥� Brosas said in a statement.
(They balance a tiny budget. They endure hunger so that they can feed their children.)
This Women鈥檚 Month, we demand genuine economic relief through concrete measures like removing burdensome taxes on basic goods,鈥� she asked government.
(This Women鈥檚 Month, we demand genuine economic relief through concrete measures like removing burdensome taxes on basic goods.)
For her part, Gabriela Party-list first nominee Sarah Elago said VAT and excise tax on basic goods aggravate the plight of women and working class families.
READ: DTI adjusts SRP as prices of bread, milk, canned goods go up
鈥淲e demand the scrapping of the 12% VAT on electricity, water and other basic services,鈥� Elago noted in the same statement.
鈥淗indi na makatarungan na patuloy na pinapasan ng mga kababaihan at kanilang pamilya ang mabigat na buwis habang binibigyan naman ng tax incentives ang malalaking korporasyon,鈥� she noted.
(It is not just for women and their families to continue carrying the burden while big corporations are given tax incentives.)
READ: House bill seeks VAT exemption for basic goods
Elago added that lowering the prices of basic goods 鈥渋s not just an economic issue but a matter of social justice, especially for Filipino women who bear the brunt of this crisis.鈥�
In 2022, Makabayan bloc lawmakers in the House of Representatives filed House Bill No. 5504 that seeks to amend the Tax Reform Act of 1997.
It also wants to exempt from the 12-percent VAT basic products like bread, sugar and cooking oil.