Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III firmly rejected claims that he plans to raise taxes, assuring the public that he will not allow any additional burden on Filipino taxpayers.
In a media forum at Kapihan sa Manila Bay on Wednesday, October 22, Sotto dismissed accusations circulating online that he supports higher tax rates.
“Hindi, wala. Hindi [tayo papayag] na taasan [‘yong tax]. ‘Yon nga ang paninira ng mga basher sa akin, e,” Sotto said.
“Itataas ko raw ang tax? Ano? Nasisira ulo nila, ibaba ko pa ‘yong tax,” he added.
The Senate President stressed that he has always been a responsible taxpayer since the beginning of his public service.
“Wala, never, since 1992, basta tax ‘yong pinag-uusapan, ano ako doon, e. Pero ako, ano ako talaga, ako’y matinong magbayad ng tax,” Sotto said proudly.
“Isa ako sa mga matataas [o] malaki magbayad ng tax. Hindi ako nandadaya at saka hindi ako nagtitipid pagbabayad ng tax,” he clarified.
Sotto also emphasized that the government must focus on fair and efficient tax collection rather than imposing new taxes on the people.
“Ang pinakamaganda, kumolekta ka nang matino […] Ako, nagagalingan ako sa commissioner ngayon ng BIR [Romeo D. Lumagui Jr.]. Baka sakali, mas gumanda ang ‘ika nga’y income ng gobyerno,” he said.
He also called on the Bureau of Customs (BOC) to improve its performance to help boost revenue without resorting to new taxes.
“Sana husayan din ng BOC. Para hindi sila nakakaisip ng magdadagdag ng tax. Dapat nga magbawas, e,” Sotto added.
In the long term, Sotto said he is open to reviewing the current 12% Value Added Tax (VAT) rate and reducing it to 10% if government revenue collection and the economy continue to improve.
“‘Yon ngang VAT, [mula 12%] pag-aralan natin, gawin nating 10 […] Kung mga panahon na gumanda ang koleksyon [ng buwis], gumanda ang ekonomiya, ibaba natin [ang VAT] para makinabang ang mga kababayan natin,” Sotto concluded.