A majority of lawmakers in the House of Representatives are inclined to support the removal of the travel tax imposed on Filipinos leaving the country, according to House Committee on Tourism vice chairperson and Palawan 3rd District Representative Gil Acosta Jr.
Speaking at a news forum in Quezon City, Acosta said legislators are generally favorable to the proposal, with discussions now focusing on whether to grant exemptions or fully abolish the tax.
“Dito sa House medyo positive naman, I think majority of our colleagues in the House would support the bill. Tinitingnan lamang sa komite, ano ba ang mas maganda? Exemption or total abolition,” he said.
Acosta clarified that programs currently funded by travel tax collections—such as projects of the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA), the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED)—will continue to receive funding through allocations under the General Appropriations Act.
Several measures seeking to abolish the travel tax are pending in the House, including House Bill 7443 filed by Ilocos Norte 1st District Representative Sandro Marcos and House Bill 7367 authored by Cebu City 2nd District Representative Edu Rama.
The Department of Tourism has earlier said it will defer to Congress on the matter, while emphasizing the need to identify alternative funding sources for tourism infrastructure.