Filipinos dreaming of overseas travel may soon see lower costs as momentum builds in Congress to eliminate the national travel tax.
House Committee on Tourism Chairperson and Romblon Lone District Representative Eleandro Madrona welcomed the Senate’s commitment to pass the tax repeal within the year.
Madrona emphasized that many working-class families painstakingly save money to afford overseas vacations or visit relatives abroad, noting that removing the financial burden will make foreign travel far more accessible.
“The announcement of our good Senate president is good news to millions of our kababayan who travel abroad,” Madrona said in a statement.
“For them, traveling abroad is a dream, which they achieve by saving whatever they can from their income. The abolition of the travel tax will make it easier for them to realize this dream,” he added.
Scrapping the levy—which currently stands at ₱1,620 for economy and business class passengers and ₱2,700 for first-class travelers—is expected to benefit millions of outbound passengers.
Department of Tourism (DOT) figures show that 7.6 million Filipinos traveled internationally in 2025.
The House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed House Bill (HB) No. 8464, or the “An Act abolishing the travel tax,” on its third and final reading on March 16 before transmitting it to the Senate.
The measure was principally authored by House Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III and Majority Leader Sandro Marcos, with joint endorsements from the tourism, appropriations, and ways and means panels led by Reps. Eleandro Madrona, Mika Suansing, and Miro Quimbo.
Addressing the Management Association of the Philippines, Senate President Win Gatchalian confirmed the chamber will prioritize the bill, explaining that an estimated ₱6 billion in annual revenue losses would be offset by broader tourism growth and potential increases in sin taxes on alcohol, tobacco, and e-cigarettes.
“Ang revenue loss niya, estimate, is almost around ₱6 billion. We think that it will be offset by the growth in the tourism industry,” Gatchalian said.
“Mahirap naman mag-pass ng batas na mawawalan ng koleksyon ang gobyerno, wala tayo pampalit. Pinag-aaralan rin ibang sin taxes tulad ng alcohol, tulad ng sigarilyo, vape,” he added.