Militant solons prepare for legal battle vs Train Law

Rep. Antonio Tinio of the Act Teachers party-list (File photo from the Philippine Daily Inquirer)

Members of the Left-leaning Makabayan bloc are set to challenge the newly-implemented Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (Train) Law before the Supreme Court, a lawmaker said Saturday.

ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio said progressive lawmakers would file the petition against the “anti-poor” tax law next week and question procedural and substantive issues surrounding the measure.

“Hinahanda namin, yung Makabayan bloc, yung mga lawyers na katulong natin, ‘yung petition,” Tinio said during the News Forum at Annabel’s Restaurant in Quezon City.

(The Makabayan bloc, together with the lawyers that are helping us, is preparing the petition.)

“Generally, we will raise procedural issues as well as certain substantive issues,” he added.

Tinio said they would question the validity of the law’s ratification as it was passed without a quorum and voting on December 13.

As for the substantive issues, Tinio said the bloc would raise the regressive nature of the law, contrary to the Constitution’s prescription of a “progressive” taxation.

While unsure if the SC would rule in favor of their petition, Tinio said that the “main arena” for fighting the Train Law is not in the judiciary but in the people’s court.

“In the end, ang bola nasa taumbayan na. As I have said, dapat number one electoral issue ito,” he said.

(In the end, the ball is in the hands of the people. As I have said, this should be the top electoral issue.)

“‘Yung administration at mga legislators na nag inflict ng Train, pagpahahirap sa mayorya ng mamamayan, kailangan panagutin sa election,” he added.

(The administration and the legislators that inflicted the Train, which imposed suffering to majority of the people, need to be held accountable in the coming elections.)

Tinio said that the “biggest losers” in the implementation of the law are the poor, which would be burdened by the increase of prices of goods and services brought about by the additional excise tax on oil and gasoline.

While exempting about seven million employees earning P21,000 below from income tax, the Train Law imposes additional P8 per liter this year and P2 for the next year.

The increase, the lawmaker said, will spark a domino effect that will surely spike the prices of goods and services. /jpv

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