President Aquino appeared not anymore interested on the entry of the British American Tobacco (BAT) and the $200 million investments it is dangling but he still wants the Senate to pass the sin tax reform measure seen to impose a 708 percent increase in tax assessment to the eight existing local tobacco investors.
To boost Aquino’s wish for higher sin taxes, Malacañang sent presidential legislative liaison Secretary Manuel Mamba to Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile to help push for the Palace-backed bill raising taxes on sin products like liquors and cigarettes.
In a radio interview, Mamba said that the administration will be working doubly hard to justify before the members of the Senate the importance of having the sin tax reform bill passed before December this year.
Aquino, who is slated to speak before the joint Congress his third State of the Nation Address (Sona), is perceived to skip the sin tax issue to give way to a speech purely devoted on the administration’s reform agenda accomplishments and plans to sustain the government’s drive to make efforts against corruption the focus anew of his address.
“We’re still very optimistic that many of President Aquino’s priority measures (including the sin tax reform bill) would be passed despite the limited window of opportunity for it to be passed,” says Mamba over state-owned and operated radio station.
Mamba also hinted that failure to pass the sin tax reform bill may take its toll on the P2.006-trillion proposed 2013 national budget.
Moreover, the Palace official justified immediate action on asking the Senate to pass the bill seen as government’s revenue generating mechanism, before December citing what he described as busy months after December as many of the senators would have already been very busy by then amid preparations in time for next year’s midterm elections.
Other legislative bills that the President wanted approved are the Reproductive Health bill and the Freedom of Information bill. Aquino had earlier conveyed to the Senate his preference for the ratification of a treaty that would allow military troops from Australia to set foot in the country for purpose described as “strengthening partnership between the Philippines and Australia on mutual defense aspect.”