Garcia wants travel tax abolished

CEBU, Philippines — Cebu Third District Representative Pablo John ‘PJ’ Garcia wants the abolition of taxes for international travels as he points out that traveling is a right.

House Bill 3874, which Garcia filed on August 13, seeks to discard of the travel tax paid by those who journey to international locations.

At present, passengers traveling in business and economy class seats are subject to pay P1,620 in travel tax, while first class passengers pay P2,700. These are being collected by the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA).

“If to travel is a right, why is its exercise being taxed?” Garcia asked.

“For a guaranteed right, travel would appear to be the most overtasked and overburdened,” he added.

Garcia said the right to travel should not be impaired, citing Section 6 of Article III or the Bill of Rights in the 1987 Constitution, which stipulates the right to travel, except in cases of national security, public safety or public health.

He further pointed out that the existence of the travel tax today is obsolete since it was primarily created to “curtail unnecessary travels and shore up foreign exchange.”

The travel tax under Republic Act No. 1478 was enacted in 1956 when the right to travel was not expressly provided under the 1935 Constitution.

Garcia said it was enacted at a time when travel was a luxury available only to the rich.

He said times have changed.

“Today, with the availability of cheap airline tickets from budget airlines, and inexpensive accommodations through online marketplaces and home-sharing platforms, travel is no longer the exclusive domain of the rich,” he said.

In the last two decades, Garcia noted a significant increase in foreign travel across all classes, especially as the “increasingly competitive jobs market requires exposure to foreign trends, cultures and ideas.”

“Foreign travel is increasingly becoming a necessity,” he said.

Garcia also said the Philippines is a signatory to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Tourism Agreement of 2002.

Member states vowed to the scrapping of travel levies and taxes on ASEAN nationals travelling to ASEAN countries.

“Taxing foreign travel is unreasonable burdensome on citizens and residents,” he said, adding that travelers are already taxed when buying airline tickets, as well as paying terminal fees. (FREEMAN)