WEDNE5DAV AUGU5T 14 2O1e ll

House panel okays alcohol tax hike

the tax on alcohol products.
By MaricelV. Cruz
A similar bill was passed on Third
HOUSE Majority Leader Martin Romual- Reading by the House of Representatives
dez'sbill mandating an increase in the ex- in the 17th Congress but was not passed
- cise tax rates on alcohol products will be by the Senate, prompting Albay Rep. Joey
incorporated into sirnilar measures that Salceda to refile the bill aS HB 1026, soon
the House of Representatives' Committee after the 18th Congiess convened.
on Ways and Means will craft. Several legislators including Romual-
During a hearing on Tuesday, the panel dez filed similar measures. EXCISE TAX ISSUE. Majority
Leader and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez
adopted House 8il1 1026, authored by the In by the committee that Sal-
a hearing
delivers his sponsorship speech on HB
panel's chairman Rep. Joey Salceda of ceda chairs, the panel adopted the bill to 2467 on increasing the excise tax on al-
Albay, to be the basis of the consolidated increase the excise tax rates on alcohol cohol products, heated tobacco products
, measure that will incorporate the salient products and the indexation rate to 10 per- and vapor products during a briefing
ffi6 of qther bills, lncluding that of cent to account for inflation and incorne. with the Department of Finance on prior'
"Rbmtialdez, providing for an increase in , Nextpoge ity tax measures. Ver Noveno

Roodrifuez was peisistent in oppoiing

Housg...
From Al
Rep. Estrellita Suansing of Nueva
Ecijaraised the motion to approve HB
l026,invoking Rule 10 Section 48 of the
House which states:
"In case, of 6iils or resolutions that
are identified as priority measgres of
the House, which were previously filed
in the immediately preceding Congress
and'have already been approved on third
reading, the same may be disposed of
as matters already reported upon the
approval of majority of the Members
of the committee present, there being a
quorum."
The consolidated bill will be drafted
into a committee report that will be
approved by the ways and means
committee, setting the stage for the
measure's approval by the.chamber in
plenary session.
Rep. Rufus Rodriguez of Cagayan.de
Oro objected to the swift approval of the
-rurr'ti" as he demanded'tonstitutiohal
fight" to hear out lawmakers and
stakeholders to raise their concerns on
the measure during deliberations.
if
"There is no. equitable taxation
this Congress the stakeholders are not
heard," Rodriguez said.
$ T@ilf FAcr€u
the approval of the bill, prompting
Salceda to stand as the session was
tuspEnded. while telling Rodrigubz:
"You are not evsn a member (of the
committee), I just do not want to
embarrass you."
Prior to the HB 1026's approval,
Romualdez, author of, House BilI 2467,
said in his bill that "imposing higher
taxes is still the most effective policy
tool to affect prices to discourage
consumption of sin products, in
particular, among the youth and the
poor who are the most sensitive to price
changes."
Romualdez said in his bill that was
co-authored by his wife, Rep. Yedda
Marie Romualdez, Republic Act..10351
or the Sin Tax Reform Act, that was
signed into.law in December 2012, "is a
good governance measure with ppsitive
impact on both fiscal'and public health.'l
He said RA 10351 corrected the long
standing weaknesses of the tobacco and
- alcohol excise tax system and increased
the rates to reduce the demands for-these
products, he said.
The Sin Tax Law also raised the much
in to fund the Universal
needed. revenues
Health Care (UHC) program of the
government.