MALAKING karagdagan sa kita ng pamahalaan ang inaasahan na aabot sa P108.9 billion sa loob ng limang taon kapag ganap na naipatupad ang House Bill 9007 o ang “Non-Combustible Nicotine Delivery Systems Regulation Act” na aprubado na sa ikatlo at huling pagbasa sa Kamara.

Ayon kay Deputy Speaker for Trade and Industry at Valenzuela City Rep. Wes Gatchalian, na siyang pangunahing may-akda ng naturang panukala, layon ng HB 9007 na maresolba ang talamak na ilegal na paggawa, distribusyon at bentahan ng vapes, e-cigarettes, and other electronic nicotine at non-nicotine delivery systems.

“We would like to emphasize that this bill will serve to regulate, and not ban, the sale of these products,” ang paglilinaw ng Valenzuela City lawmaker makaraang paboran ng 192 kongresista sa kanilang plenaryo ang naturang panukala.

Ang isa pa umanong positibong maidudulot ng HB 9007 ay ang pagkakaroon ng pamahalaan ng mas mataas na tax collections sa e-cigarettes, na maaaring magamit para sa kakulangan sa kinakailangang pondo upang maipatupad nang mabuti ang itinatakda ng Universal Health Care (UHC) program ng government.

Matatandaan na taong 2020 nang lagdaan ni President Rodrigo Duterte ang Republic Act 11467 na nagsusulong para taasan ang excise taxes sa alcohol at e-cigarettes.

“The increased excise tax on e-cigarettes will likewise enable the DOH to push through with its plans to upgrade state medical facilities and establish more hospitals in remote areas, hire and train more doctors and nurses, and scale up non-communicable disease prevention services, especially for low-income families – facilities that the country requires to aggressively combat this pandemic,” ani Gatchalian.

“The additional funds could also be used to help find a cure for COVID, establish facilities that would cater exclusively to COVID-19 patients in order to help decongest our hospitals, or as additional incentives for our frontline healthcare workers who risk their lives day in and day out,” pahayag pa ng mambabatas. (CESAR BARQUILLA)