Human rights lawyer Chel Diokno is proposing an excise tax freeze on petroleum products in view of the soaring fuel prices that resulted from the Russia-Ukraine crisis.
Diokno, a senatorial aspirant, cited the law allowing the tax freeze in the years 2018 to 2020 to cushion the impact of the incessant oil price hike to the public.
He suggested the freezing of excise tax on petroleum products at its present absolute rate, saying this move would allow the government to still collect the much-needed revenues.
“This is a win-win situation for the government, consumers and the transport sector. Kahit tumaas pa higit sa $80 kada bariles ang langis sa (Even if the price of oil goes up to $80 per barrel in the) world market, hindi na madadagdagan pa ang buwis (there are no additional taxes),” Diokno said in a statement.
“Malaking tulong na ito para mapagaan ang epekto ng sunud-sunod na pagtaas sa presyo ng produktong petrolyo sa araw-araw na bilihin (This will be a big help to alleviate the effect of the continuous increase in the prices of petroleum products to the daily expenses),” he added.
On Tuesday, March 8, a steep increase in fuel prices, the biggest so far this year, took effect. Prices of biodiesel and unleaded gasoline have gone up to P5.85 and P3.60 per liter, respectively.
READ: PH braces for Ukraine conflict’s inevitable impact
With Russia’s current invasion of Ukraine, the oil prices are expected to hit P100 per liter in the coming weeks, according to the Department of Energy (DOE).
The senatorial aspirant said the government must act quickly on this matter, noting the Executive Department is empowered to make such a move under the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (Train) Law.
“Huwag nang magpatumpik-tumpik pa sa pagkilos ang gobyerno. Nahihirapan na ang taumbayan sa mahal na presyo ng petrolyo at bilihin (The government should not dilly-dally in its actions. The people are experiencing hardships because of the expensive prices of petroleum and goods),” he said.
Diokno plans to establish access to free legal assistance in every barrio, like the Free Legal Helpdesk that he put up on his Facebook page, to provide ordinary citizens with immediate legal help if he wins a Senate seat.
He also seeks to strengthen the country’s barangay justice system by beefing up the capability of the Lupong Tagapamayapa in dealing with legal issues among residents.