Council committee opposes tax for teachers

CEBU, Philippines - The Committee on Budget and Finance of the Cebu City Council is opposed to the proposal to impose a P300 annual professional tax on every teacher in the city.

City Councilor Jose Daluz III who heads the committee on budget and finance explained that imposing such professional fees on teachers as proposed by his fellow legislator Roberto Cabarrubias is already excessive considering the fact that the public school mentors are generally underpaid.

Cabarrubias proposed to make some amendments to the existing city ordinance that requires the imposition of tax to any profession, to include the teaching profession, but Daluz said it would be inappropriate.

“The committee moreover feels that the city should instead encourage teaching as a profession, education being an avowed priority of the government,” Daluz said.

Education consultant Joy Augustus Young said each of the 5,000 public school teachers in Cebu City is now earning P14,100 a month and an additional P2,000 given this year. Every year each of them will also receive P2,000 Cost of Living Allowance and another P4,000 clothing allowance.

Young said the public school teachers who are assigned in Cebu will receive a P22,100 monthly gross salary which will be increased to P26,100 by 2012.

The public school teachers in the city welcomed the announcement of Young because their job requires them to work even beyond school hours, but they are only paid less.

“Kapoy kaayo ning among trabaho kay inig-kagabii bisan og katulgon na kami, magbuhat pa mi og lesson plan ug usahay mag-check sa mga test papers,” she said. — Rene U. Borromeo/BRP   (FREEMAN NEWS)