The House Committee on Ways and Means has approved a bill that aims to remove the travel tax charged to Filipinos leaving the country. The proposal will now move to plenary discussions.
Government agencies like the Department of Finance and the Department of Budget and Management supported the measure. If passed, programs that currently rely on travel tax collections, including Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority, the Commission on Higher Education, and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, will instead be funded through the national budget.
Removing the tax is expected to make trips to other countries more affordable for ordinary Filipinos, especially families and young people, while still keeping support for tourism, education, and culture.
The travel tax has been in place for decades and has often been seen as outdated. By shifting funding to the General Appropriations Act, Congress hopes to modernize the system and reduce costs for travelers.
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If the bill becomes law, the travel tax will be abolished completely, making trips abroad less expensive for Filipinos.
What do you think? Will this encourage more Filipinos to travel overseas?
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