To increase the P200 per month government aid for the poor amid oil price hikes, a group is now proposing that the government stand firm in collecting the P203.8 billion estate tax that the family of former President Ferdinand Marcos has not yet paid.
The Bureau of Internal Revenue recently confirmed that they sent a written demand to the Marcoses to pay off the tax debt that is still unpaid. The demand, as mentioned earlier, needs to be renewed every five years to become collectible.
“Gamitin ng gobyerno ang poder at awtoridad nito para kolektahin na agad ang hindi binayarang buwis ng mga Marcos at gamiting pang-ayuda para sa pinakamahihirap,” said Anakpawis national president Ariel Casilao.
“The decision on the collection of the unpaid taxes worth P27 billion in 1993 became final and executory in 1997. What is preventing the government from enforcing the rule of law?” … The Marcoses did every trick in the book to circumvent the law. Now, it’s payback time.”
The unpaid estate tax of the Marcoses is even greater than the P147.1 billion tax the government targets to collect from petroleum products by 2022 – including the P131.4 billion fuel excise tax.
Add P203-B unpaid taxes of Marcoses to P200 ‘ayuda’ – group
Lawmakers have already proposed to suspend the collection of excise tax on oil to lower the price of petroleum products. Economic managers rejected it because they said the government would lose billions.
“Even if the P203-billion is divided equally, each Filipino will get P1,816 each. May pagkukunan ng pondo para sa ayuda. Kailangan lang may political will ang gobyerno na singilin ang mga Marcos,” said Casilao.
He said this is even more than the P33.1 billion budget for unconditional cash transfers for the bottom 50% of the poorest, equivalent to 12 million families.
The P200 per month aid pushed by the Department of Finance, which President Rodrigo Duterte has already approved, will be distributed continuously for one year.
It is currently the 11th consecutive week of rising oil prices in the Philippines, which motorists are already craving. The rise in essential commodities is also expected due to this.
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