MANILA, Philippines - Labor group Trade Union Congress of the Philippines-Nagkaisa (TUCP-Nagkaisa) slammed President Aquino for rejecting proposed bills to cut income tax.
If Congress passes the bills they would eventually increase purchasing power of workers amid rising costs of services and increasing prices of basic commodities, the group said.
"We resent President Aquino's outright rejection of proposed legislative measures aimed at reducing the...existing income tax. We were expecting that he the least would revise the figure into a compromise, if not, phased tax cut," TUCP-Nagkaisa spokesperson Alan Tanjusay said.
The president has rejected labor groups’ proposals to alleviate workers' burden caused by rising cost of goods and services and has disapproved security of tenure bills designed to make economic growth more inclusive, Tanjusay said.
President Aquino also turned down their proposals to make the cost of electricity affordable to workers and institute programs that enable minimum wage earners cope with inflation by providing assistance sourced from annual excess budget.
He also thumbed down a two-month unemployment insurance to help workers who lost their jobs cope while looking for employment.
"He has not provided any relief for workers who helped build a competitive economy under his administration... If this is the legacy that he intends Filipino workers remember him by, [then] so be it,” Tanjusay said.