CIA’s worldwide monitoring

After 9-11, the US intelligence community undertook a lot of reforms to enhance monitoring and surveillance efforts to counter security threats. The passage of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 paved the way for the creation of several new agencies with focus on information sharing and analysis of collected data.

Obviously, the role of the Central Intelligence Agency has also expanded since the terrorist attacks in 2001, turning itself into one of the most sophisticated agencies in the world and employing high-tech surveillance and monitoring systems that have never been heard of before. This has generated all kinds of speculations about the CIA’s capability to tap into telephone conversations, hack into emails and listen from outer space. Even during the Cold War era, stories have been circulating about the spy satellite program of the United States which can “look” into the activities of the Soviet Union and assess the latter’s military and nuclear plans and strategies.

Just how high-tech and widespread the CIA’s surveillance and monitoring capabilities seems to be confirmed by WikiLeaks which recently released thousands of pages of documents detailing the tools employed by the agency – from cellphones to laptops, to microphones embedded in televisions – to spy on individuals all over the world. WikiLeaks also claims the CIA has developed a lot of software hacking programs which can remotely control all kinds of electronic devices to track locations, take photos covertly and record conversations.

Quite honestly, it’s not farfetched that even state leaders could also be targeted, like German Chancellor Angela Merkel who several years ago called up then-US president Barack Obama and angrily asked if WikiLeaks’ claims that the US National Security Agency had bugged her cellphone was true. French President Francois Hollande had also called Obama over reports that French people’s phone calls and text messages were being monitored.

One can just imagine the kind of monitoring the CIA and other US intel agencies are conducting on President Duterte to find out what he is up to. President Rody has been getting extensive media coverage from international news networks because of his unorthodox style of leadership, not to mention his colorful language against the US (although he has toned down on the rhetoric since Donald Trump became president). In fact, even the hit TV series Madam Secretary has an upcoming episode featuring an “unconventional” Philippine president making inappropriate advances against the lead character who plays the US state secretary. Malacañang has hit the TV series, saying it could draw attention to President Duterte and put him in a negative light.

Luxury vehicles will be more expensive

Finance Secretary Sonny Dominguez has said on many occasions the proposed tax reform bill, which would more than double excise taxes on luxury goods and items, would surely be approved by Congress. Under the proposed bill, luxury vehicles priced at over P2.1 million will be taxed at 60 percent of the manufacturing and import price, plus 60 percent of the amount in excess of P2.1 million.

If House Bill 4774 (or the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Act) comes to pass, the price of a typical Mercedes Benz which costs P5 million now could eventually go as high as P10 to 12 million, while a top-of-the-line MB at P9 million could soon be priced to P20 million. So if you are planning to purchase a luxury vehicle, you would be better off buying a slightly used, but well maintained (they call it “pre-loved”) car as it could turn out to be a real bargain in the end. Of course, the time to buy is now before the proposed bill is passed into law by 2018.

Car dealers are unhappy at the proposed tax reforms, however, warning it could cause a decline in sales by next year once the excise tax law is implemented. On the other hand, several groups have indicated support, saying the increased taxes will help generate revenues that can be used to fund the needed improvements in the mass transport system in the country. According to some groups, there is no better way to finance the plans for a more improved mass transport system than to collect from those who have more financial capacity to help build the system.

Former finance secretary Gary Teves, on the other hand, is suggesting the tax hikes should be imposed on luxury vehicles first, but cautioned against applying the measure to other brackets (such as medium-priced vehicles) because this will be unfair to salaried workers and employees who also want to buy their own vehicles due to the messy state of the public transport system which has contributed to the worsening of the traffic problem, particularly in Metro Manila.

Of course, employees are anticipating the passage of the bill because it will significantly lower personal income tax rates to 25 percent.

* * *

Email: [email protected]