FORMER Albay rep. Joey Sarte Salceda over the weekend supported the proposal of House Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander “Sandro” A. Marcos of Ilocos Norte for the abolition of the travel tax.
He urged Congress to approve Marcos’ bill.
“I think it should be passed because it will help. Every positive measure I think should be considered,” Salceda, the former chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means, told the Saturday Media Forum at Dapo Restaurant in Quezon City.
He said the travel tax discourages Filipinos from traveling “because it increases the cost of travel.”
Abolishing the levy would mean depriving the government of an annual income of P11 billion, he said.
However, scrapping it would encourage Filipinos to travel.
“Yung mawawala są gobyerno ay P11 billion. Pero yung P11 billion pag tinanggal mo, P46 billion in (economic) output ang maki-create,” Salceda stressed.
“When you travel, you eat in restaurants, you go to hotels, and there is lodging. So kain, siyempre souvenir,” he added.
Marcos’ travel tax abolition proposal is contained in House Bill (HB) No. 7443.
In filing the bill, the House leader said: “The travel tax was created in a very different economic context. Today, it has become an added cost that restricts mobility and weighs heavily on ordinary Filipinos who simply want to travel for work, family, or opportunity.”
The levy is P1,620 for economy-class passengers and P2,700 for first-class travelers.
“Travel is not a luxury for many Filipinos. It is part of how families stay connected and how workers sustain their livelihoods,” Marcos said.
Marcos said since the travel tax increases the cost of travel, “fewer people move, fewer people spend, and fewer opportunities circulate through the economy.”
He added that abolishing the levy would help stimulate tourism-dependent industries, including hotels, transport services and small businesses that rely on visitor spending, while also encouraging more Filipinos to explore domestic destinations.
