Group urges government to scrap fuel, electricity taxes

MANILA, Philippines — The Bantay Konsyumer, Kalsada, Kuryente group on Friday urged the Marcos administration to immediately abolish taxes on electricity and petroleum products to “ease the burden of our poor.”

“If we look back on the early term of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr., he declared that the economic status of our countrymen will be improved. In a simple and clear sense, it will improve our lives. With his good promise and to fulfill it, he can do so by immediately abolishing electricity and petroleum taxes. It should be included in his Priority Bills in his third SONA,” the group said in a statement.

“The massive VAT layer on petroleum and electricity products is one of the root causes of why basic goods and services are so high,” the group added.

It also cited Pulse Asia’s “Ulat ng Survey” released last Friday where inflation is regarded as an urgent national concern by the majority of the Filipinos that should be immediately addressed by the government.

The survey also showed that inflation was the only one national concern cited by the majority of Filipinos that they want President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. to tackle in his third State of the Nation Address on Monday.