Senate set to tackle Duterte’s tax reform package next week

“It will become a very big budget issues,” Sen. Vicente “Tito” Sotto III says of the tax reform package of the Duterte administration. (File photo from the Philippine Daily Inquirer)

The Senate will convene next week to discuss the tax reform package of the Duterte administration, which the President himself urged the upper chamber to pass in full and in haste during his second State of the Nation Address last Monday.

“The committee of the whole will probably get the inputs on why and how we’re going to resolve this budget issue. It will become a very big budget issue,” Senate Majority Leader Vicente “Tito” Sotto III told reporters on Wednesday.

Members of the Senate majority held a caucus at noon on Wednesday to discuss the President’s appeal.

Sotto said the proposed tax package should be studied thorougly by the Senate.

“I viewed it before as a campaign promise of the President na ‘yung maliliit ang kita ay aalisan na ng income tax,” Sotto said.

He futher explained: “Eh ito palang income tax reform package hindi lang yun eh. Babawiin ‘yun. Meron pang huhugutin na mas marami na mas matindi ang bawi. Napakahabang debate at usapin pa kasi ang ayoko sa lahat yung abusuhin nila yung pangako ng Pangulo.”

Asked if the Senate could consider passing the administration’s tax reform in full, Sotto said: “It still needs a lot of tinkering. Maraming aayusin pa.”

Majority senators also discussed the 36 bills that will be prioritized in the second regular session.

Sotto said some of the 36 bills were mentioned by President Rodrigo Duterte in his Sona, including the Bangsamoro Basic Law, the national ID sytem, and the Land Use Act. /atm