Senator Erwin Tulfo is now pushing for a bill that seeks to abolish the levy imposed by the government for all persons leaving the country.

Tulfo, in filing Senate Bill No. 1409 said that current travel tax imposed on travelers hinders Filipinos' right to travel.

SB No. 1409, he said, seeks to remove the travel tax, citing the ASEAN Tourism Agreement which the Philippines signed in 2002.

“Nearly 14 years since the Philippines signed the ASEAN Tourism Agreement, we still impose this travel tax,” Tulfo pointed out.

According to the senator, the measure is a “concrete step toward ensuring that travel becomes more equitable, accessible, and reasonably priced for Filipinos.”

Based on the current collection of the travel tax, Republic Act No. 1478 (Tourism Board Law) allots 50 percent of the collections to the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority Board of Travel and Tourist.

Meanwhile, RA 7722 (Higher Education Act) allots 40 percent of the revenue to the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and RA 9593 (Tourism Act of 2009) allots the remaining 10 percent of the collections to the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA).

Currently, travel tax rates for economy to first-class passage range from P1,620 to P2,700. Standard Reduced rates are P810 to P1,350, and Privileged Reduced rates for dependents of Overseas Filipino Workers are P300 to P400.

“If we really want to improve the country’s tourism sector and be at par with our neighboring Southeast Asian countries, we have to remove these barriers that disempower Filipinos to travel,” Tulfo said.

“Filipinos deserve a better travel experience that could render not only good memories but also better expose them to various cultures around the world,” the lawmaker further reiterated.