(Ni NOEL ABUEL)

Naghain ng panukalang batas ang isang mambabatas para pag-aralan ang dagdag na buwis sa produktong petrolyo sa ilalim ng Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Law.

Ayon kay Senador Joel Villanueva, ang nasabing batas ay magdudulot ng pagtaas sa presyo ng produktong petrolyo epektibo noong Enero ng taong kasalukuyan at magtutuloy-tuloy sa susunod na taon at sa taong 2020.

Sa ilalim ng inihain nitong Senate Bill No. 2014, nais nitong harangin ang pagpapatupad ng dagdag buwis sa produktong petrolyo.

“It is unfortunate that our economic managers gave us data and parameters during the deliberations of the TRAIN Law which later turned out to be far from accurate. Our goal now is to fix the law to make it more sensitive to the most vulnerable. It is currently self-defeating if we are creating unnecessary burden to the very same people that we wish to help in the first place,” sabi pa ni Villanueva.

Malaking parusa umano ang idudulot ng TRAIN Law lalo na at marami sa mga Filipino ang mahihirap.

“Filipinos allot as much as 60% of their budget on food.  We already have more than 8 million Filipinos who fail to meet their basic food requirements on a daily basis, and even more people would suffer with higher prices.  If food prices become too high, my proposal is to temper production cost by lowering the fuel tax,” paliwanag pa ng senador.