regressive tax

Poorest 60M Filipinos suffer income loss due to first 6 months inflation in 2018

August 7, 2018

Lowest-income households lost as much as Php2,700 since start of 2018 Accelerating inflation since the start of the year has eroded the incomes of the country’s poorest families. Research group IBON estimates that the poorest 60 million Filipinos have suffered income losses of anywhere from Php993 to as much as Php2,715 because of worsening inflation […]

TRAIN-driven rising cost of living makes wage hike urgent

July 9, 2018

Research group IBON said that tax-driven inflation is making the meager wages of poor Filipinos fall even further behind the rising cost of living. The group said this makes it even more urgent for the government to immediately raise wages even as it revisits the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law behind the […]

Govt’s TRAIN to blame for highest inflation in nearly 10 years — IBON

July 5, 2018

Research group IBON said that the government’s insistence on higher taxes especially on the poor is among the factors driving inflation rates to their highest in nearly a decade. The group said that runaway inflation is due to the peso depreciation and rising global oil prices combined with the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion […]

TRAIN-induced price increases are permanent—IBON

May 10, 2018

The inflation spike marks the start of increases​ driven by the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN)​ in the prices of basic goods and services for the next three years, research group IBON said. Further inflationary surges are likely to happen in 2019 and 2020 when the next two rounds of additional taxes on […]

Slow TRAIN cash transfers highlight govt’s insensitivity–IBON

February 27, 2018

The poor will get relief about three months into suffering TRAIN-induced price increases with millions of others only getting it much later  Research group IBON said that the slow implementation of the Duterte administration’s social mitigation measures including its cash subsidies highlights how these are just an afterthought to cover up how the Tax Reform […]

Double taxes on oil show govt’s lack of concern for poor – IBON

February 23, 2018

Slapping additional taxes on oil products makes the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law anti-poor, research group IBON said. Contrary to the argument that the new law is ‘fair’, the group said that these oil taxes should be scrapped for the benefit of millions of Filipinos who will otherwise continue to suffer the […]

With Duterte’s TRAIN, poor pay higher taxes so rich can take home more

December 13, 2017

By Sonny Africa The Duterte administration’s Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) bill reportedly due for ratification by Congress this week burdens the poor with higher consumption taxes so that the rich can have higher take-home pay. The Department of Finance (DOF) used income tax gains for a few middle-class families as a smokescreen […]

Four indicators that Duterte’s tax program is anti-poor

December 1, 2017

Lawmakers should rethink Duterte tax program The Senate version of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) bill remains anti-poor despite amendments. Research group IBON said this following senators’ recent approval of their version of the Duterte tax bill on third and final reading. According to the group, the Senate’s efforts to reduce the […]

No thanks: US behind Duterte’s anti-poor tax reform

November 13, 2017

At the onset of the much-anticipated first-ever bilateral talks between United States president Donald Trump and President Rodrigo Duterte on Philippine soil, it should be reiterated that the US has a hand in what would be the most anti-poor tax program in the country’s history. The Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) exemplifies how […]