Scrap tax on teachers’ poll pay, Senate urged

EXTENDED DUTY Teachers serving as board of election inspectors spend an extra day on Tuesday wrapping up their task at North Fairview Elementary School in Quezon City after vote-counting machines and secure digital (SD) cards malfunctioned in many precincts on Election Day. —NIÑO JESUS ORBETA

MANILA, Philippines — The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) urged the Senate on Monday to fast-track the approval of a bill scrapping the 20-percent tax on election service pay for teachers who took part in the national and local elections on May 9.

The group made this call as the Congress resumed its session on Monday.

The group said that if the 18th Congress would fail to pass the bill before the sessions close on June 3, “we will go back to square one and all our efforts will have been in vain.”

“Our teachers were subjected to harsh conditions and unnecessary hardships, but they fulfilled their duties and went above and beyond to protect the sanctity of our people’s votes … They deserve to be fully remunerated for their service without burdensome tax deductions,” Raymond Basilio, ACT secretary-general, said in a statement.

From the previous 5-percent tax on the honoraria and allowances of poll workers in 2018, the Bureau of Internal Revenue imposed a 20-percent tax in line with the provisions of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion law.

—JANE BAUTISTA

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