Batangas 1st district Rep. Leandro Legarda Leviste is up in arms over the stratospheric price levels of fuel in the Philippines, which he described as among the most expensive in Asia.

But at least this problem has a very simple solution, he noted.

"Ang Pilipinas ay isa sa may pinakamataas na presyo ng langis sa Asya dahil sa buwis na pinapataw ng ating gobyerno (The Philippines has one of the highest oil prices in Asia because of the taxes imposed by our government)," Leviste said in a statement Wednesday, April 8.

"Habang ang ibang bansa ay nagbibigay ng subsidiya para pababain ang presyo ng langis, ang Pilipinas ay may pinapatong na 12 percent VAT (value-added tax) na lalo pang nagpapamahal sa langis," said the neophyte congressman.

(While other countries provide subsidies to lower oil prices, the Philippines adds a 12 percent VAT that makes oil even more expensive.)

Thus, he said: "Malinaw ang solusyon: Ibaba ang VAT sa 10 percent para sa lahat ng bilihin, o isuspinde ang VAT sa langis (The solution is clear: lower VAT to 10% for all goods, or suspend VAT on oil)."

According to the Batangueño, it has been proven that the government’s capacity to provide aid is limited, "so it is better to reduce taxes to directly help the people".

Leviste--who made the pitch amid the House of Representatives' concerted efforts to mitigate the impact of the Middle East conflict-triggered fuel price crisis--said it's just a matter of political will.

"Kapag gusto ng gobyerno, may paraan, tulad ng pagbawas ng gastos at pangongolekta ng mas progresibong buwis (When the government wants to, there is a way, such as reducing expenses and collecting more progressive taxes)."

The billionaire businessman-turned-lawmaker doubled down on his suggestion in a separate statement, also on Wednesday.

"Ang Pilipinas ang may pinakamataas na VAT sa Southeast Asia. Kung kaya ng ibang bansang magbigay ng magandang serbisyo kahit mas mababa ang VAT, lalong kaya nating pababain ang VAT," he said.

(The Philippines has the highest VAT in Southeast Asia. If other countries can provide good services even with lower VAT, we can certainly lower ours.)

"Kapag ibinaba ang VAT mula 12 tungong 10 percent, halos ₱250 billion ang mababawas sa buwis, katumbas ng ₱9,000 kada taon o ₱750 kada buwan para sa bawat pamilyang Pilipino. Sa dami ng winawaldas ng gobyerno, kayang-kayang bawasan ang ating pambansang budget ng ganitong halaga," explained the 33-year-old.

(If VAT is reduced from 12 to 10 percent, about ₱250 billion in taxes will be cut—equivalent to ₱9,000 per year or ₱750 per month for every Filipino family. With the amount of government spending, our national budget can easily absorb this reduction.)

Leviste added: "Iminungkahi ko rin sa Kongreso na palitan ang VAT ng Wealth Tax na babayaran lang ng mga bilyonaryo (I also proposed in Congress to replace VAT with a Wealth Tax that only billionaires would pay)."

He said the Constitution states that the tax system should be progressive. This means, he said, that the rich should pay a higher percentage than the poor.

"Ngunit hindi ito nasusunod. Hindi pa inaaprubahan ang pagbaba ng VAT dahil mas pinipili ng ilang opisyal na protektahan ang interes ng mga politiko at mayayaman kaysa sa mga ordinaryong Pilipino," Leviste claimed.

(But this is not being followed. The lowering of VAT has not been approved because some officials prefer to protect the interests of politicians and the wealthy rather than ordinary Filipinos.)