MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Risa Hontiveros on Tuesday asked the Commission on Elections and Bureau of Internal Revenue to hold off on collecting a withholding tax of 20% on the compensation for teachers tasked with poll duties in the May elections.
This comes days after teachers' group Alliance of Concerned Teachers Philippines decried the tax raise of 20% allegedly imposed on their travel allowances of P2,000 each for elections work this year.
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Teachers form part of the Electoral Board that renders election-related service. Members of the board are entitled to honoraria, travel allowances, communication allowances, anti-COVID-19 allowances and service credits.
"I ask that the BIR and the Comelec defer the collection of the 20% tax. Like many of our countrymen, teachers are starting to rise out of this pandemic. [Increasing the withholding taxes on their poll allowances] is wrong timing and too harsh," Hontiveros said in a statement shared with reporters over email on Tuesday.
She urged the government to keep the tax at 5% in light of current economic conditions, saying it was "the least we could do" given the service that teachers render during the elections.
Hontiveros said the BIR and Comelec should immediately address teachers' concerns by organizing a dialogue with them.
The ACT Teachers, Bayan Muna, Gabriela and Kabataan party-lists filed a measure in 2019 to exempt compensation from election work from income taxes, saying "this destroys the spirit and intent of the ESRA (Election Service Reform Act), which is to compensate the hardships of persons rendering election service."
The House approved House Bill No. 225 on third and final reading but the Senate did not pass a counterpart measure.