Leody de Guzman open to DOF briefing on PH debt

Presidential candidate Leody de Guzman (Photo from his Facebook page)

MANILA, Philippines — Presidential candidate and labor leader Leody de Guzman on Sunday said he was willing to sit down with Department of Finance (DOF) Chief Carlos Dominguez III who earlier declared that his office was ready to brief all presidential candidates and their economic teams and present them ideas on how to handle the increasing public debt.

“I accept the offer of meeting [Finance Secretary] Dominguez and I want to hear why he decreased the estate tax in [the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion law] and corporate income tax in Create (Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises law) but he still wants to increase the taxes on the ordinary Filipino,” De Guzman said in a statement.

Dominguez on Friday proposed new or higher taxes, which he did not specify, to pay for the country’s foreign and domestic debts, some of which was incurred for the country’s COVID-19 pandemic response.

—JEROME ANING

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