Tulfo blasts BIR for anti-poor tax plan
SENATOR Raffy Tulfo yesterday criticized the Bureau of Internal Revenue’s (BIR) “anti-poor” plan to impose taxes on junk food and other food items next year.
Tulfo said that many buyers in these categories belong to the so-called “poorest of the poor” who heavily rely on these affordable food items, which they consider necessity instead of luxury, to survive.
In fact, the senator said the poor would even eat chips as viands at times to feed their hungry stomachs. That’s why Tulfo said taxing junk food sellers would only bring much hardships for them.
“Bakit pinagdidiskitahan ng BIR ang mga chichirya at nais nilang patawan ng buwis ang mga ito? This is very anti-poor!” he explained.
“Kung ang pakay nila ay para makalikom ng dagdag kita para sa kaban ng bayan mula sa mga consumer products, bakit ‘di nila punteryahin ang mga luxury items gaya ng mga food supplements, protein bars, energy bars, slimming drinks pati na maging mga cosmetic products?” he asked.
Under the proposed tax measure, Finance Secretary Ben Diokno said the DoF plans to impose a ₱10 per 100 grams or ₱10 per 100 millimeters tax on pre-packaged foods, including confectioneries, snacks, desserts and frozen confectioneries.
If the BIR badly wants to boost public revenues, Tulfo said, it should focus its attention on food supplements and cosmetic products, which are both multi-billion pesos industries.
He said taxing food supplements and cosmetic products will not affect the poor, adding that those belonging to the A market, or those at the highest echelons of society, buy these products.
Meanwhile, reacting on the Department of Health’s approval on the proposed tax measure to supposedly discourage consumers from buying junk food that they said could lead to obesity and diabetes, Tulfo said the DoH should prompt manufacturers to decrease the sodium content of food products that they are offering.
He said Singapore manufacturers managed to do this with manufacturers finding low sodium substitute for processed food product without heavily affecting the taste.
