Gatchalian to focus on taxpayers, MSMEs in Senate ways and means panel

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian talks in a tax forum in the Senate on July 20. (Courtesy of Senate PRIB)

MANILA, Philippines — Senator Sherwin Gatchalian will be focused on taxpayers and micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), should he become the chairperson of the Senate committee on ways and means.

Gatchalian is poised to become the chairperson of the Senate committee on ways and means in the 19th Congress, which opens on July 25.

“So in the next few years, if ever our plans will be realized and we will be chairing the Ways and Means Committee, I want to put taxpayers first as a priority in the committee,” he said during his speech at a tax forum.

“We also would like to focus on the small and thriving MSMEs sector. The MSMEs are the backbone of our economy because, in terms of numbers, there are almost a million MSMEs in our country,” he added.

Gatchalian is planning to make taxing as simple as buying goods online.

He is also seeking that mechanisms are in place to report erring government officers when it comes to tax collection.

“Our taxpayers get the gold standard treatment just like going to the hotel. We make sure that there are mechanisms also for reporting abusive government officials when it comes to the collection,” he said.

The senator likewise assured the public that he would not touch any tax reforms implemented during the Duterte administration.

muf/abc