By Vanne Elaine Terrazola
Senate President Vicente Sotto III is seeking to exempt public school teachers from paying income taxes.
Sen. Vicente Sotto III
(Senate of the Philippines / MANILA BULLETIN)
Sotto filed Senate Bill 241, which proposes to amend the National Internal Revenue Code of 1997 to provide Teachers 1, 2, and 3 in public elementary and high schools tax relief.
In filing the measure, the Senate chief said he wanted to improve the economic status of the teachers who "receive only a little higher than the minimum wage."
Sotto said that by lifting the burden of paying the income tax, teachers are given what they rightfully deserve.
"We recognize the inevitable fact that our teachers play a crucial and significant role. The future of our youth and nation lies in the nurturing hands of our teachers. We consider them as our modern day heroes,” he said in his bill.
Under the bill, public school teachers 1, 2 and 3 shall be exempt from the payment of income tax on their salaries. Likewise, the holiday pay, overtime pay, night shift differential and hazard pay they receive would not be taxable.
The Senate leader earlier committed that they will work on increasing the salary of public school teachers in the 18th Congress.
Several bills have been filed in the Senate seeking a raise in teachers' wages.