Senator Erwin Tulfo has filed a bill seeking to eliminate the travel tax levied on Filipinos traveling abroad. According to him, this is an additional burden on citizens who want to travel.
Currently, the travel tax amounts to ₱2,700 for first class and ₱1,620 for economy class. There are also discounts for children of OFWs and certain other passengers.
Senate Bill No. 1409 states that the collection of travel tax should be eliminated in compliance with the ASEAN Tourism Agreement signed in 2002, which aims to eliminate travel taxes in ASEAN member countries.
Tulfo explained that boosting tourism should be the government's responsibility and the cost should not be passed on to ordinary taxpayers. Once this is enacted, travel taxes paid for flights covered by the new policy will be immediately refunded.
Currently, 50% of the collected travel tax goes to the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority, 40% to the Commission on Higher Education, and 10% to the National Commission for Culture and the Arts. Once this tax is completely eliminated, funding will be taken from the General Appropriations Act.
