DUMAGUETE CITY, Negros Oriental — The first of a series of activities to consult various sectors nationwide on Package 2 of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) and the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) was launched here Friday.
Dubbed the “Tax Reform Roadshow: Understanding the EITI and the Comprehensive Tax Reform Program”, the activity aims to get a feel of the different sectors in the community regarding the government’s TRAIN law prior to submission of the second package, said Edward Du, governor of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s (PCCI) office in Central Visayas.
“Since TRAIN 1 was already implemented — and there seems to be some sectors (that) may not be so happy with TRAIN 1 — we’re doing this roadshow to address some of the concerns and issues of the general public and also the business sector,” Du said.
“Hopefully, through this roadshow, these issues and concerns in TRAIN 1 will be considered in TRAIN 2 and will be addressed or remedied,” he added.
Du noted that their primary concern is the reduction of the corporate income tax, “because it is one way to be competitive.”
He said another concern is the rationalization of tax incentives “because there are companies that are abusing it, when it should be the MSMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises) that should be given more incentives than the large corporations.”
The whole-day activity, held in a local hotel, had for its resource persons Atty. Niña Asuncion, Director, Strategy Economics and Results Group of the Department of Finance (DOF), and Tammy Lipana, co-chair, Taxation Committee of the PCCI.
Du, who is also former president of the Negros Oriental Chamber of Commerce and Industry, disclosed that he and PCCI had requested the roadshow, which was sponsored/partnered by the DOF, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and Admir Zajmovic, Tax IT Expert of the USAID-Facilitating Public Investment Project, among others.
He said after Dumaguete City, the roadshow will move to Surigao in Mindanao and other parts of the country, after which, the issues and concerns, suggestions and proposals raised in the different forums will be incorporated in TRAIN 2.
“These will be consolidated by the secretariat and I think there will be five or six roadshows in the next two months before they (the government) will pass TRAIN 2,” Du added.
Present at the opening of the roadshow on Friday morning were Dumaguete Mayor Felipe Antonio Remollo and Negros Oriental 2nd District Rep. Manuel Sagarbarria.
More than 100 representatives of the business sector, academe, senior citizens, farmers, fisher folk, transportation, the Catholic Church, and practically all sectors are attending the roadshow, which Du said would include a roundtable discussion Friday afternoon. (Mary Judaline Partlow/PNA)
