Labor, consumer groups call for tax relief

LABOR AND CONSUMER groups are urging the government to relieve their tax burdens and raise wages, citing the high cost of living made worse by the attacks on Iran.

“Prices remain high. The government claims that inflation has only slightly increased, but in the public markets the reality is different,” Renna Joy F. Lasmarias, representative of the Promotion of Church People’s Response (PCPR) within the SUKI Consumer Network, said in a statement on Sunday.

Ms. Lasmarias noted that retail prices for staples remain elevated, with onions at about P165 per kilo, chicken P196, and galunggong (round scad) P326.

The Federation of Free Workers (FFW) Women’s Network said gasoline prices have hit P80 per liter in Tacloban.

Vilma Garcia, a board member of FFW, said that women bear the brunt of the crisis as they manage dwindling family budgets against uncontrolled price increases.

The statements were issued as part of the observance of Women’s Month.

“While a living wage is being denied to families and public funds intended for social protection are being lost to corruption, the suffering endured by women workers only intensifies,” Ms. Garcia added.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. said last week that the March 10-16 forecast for fuel includes gasoline price increase of P7.48 per liter. Diesel was to rise P17.28 per liter, and kerosene P32.25 per liter.

Ronald B. Gustilo, national campaigner for the Digital Pinoys organization, told BusinessWorld via Messenger chat that the government should also consider suspending or reducing the excise tax or value-added tax (VAT) on fuel if prices continue to climb.

“This could help lower pump prices more quickly and mitigate the domino effect on transport fares, the cost of basic goods, and the operational expenses of businesses,” Mr. Gustilo said.

The FFW Women’s Network (FWN) added that the influx of women into the labor force has not been met with adequate protection, citing low wages, the lack of a pathway to permanent employment, and unsafe working conditions. Ma. Victoria Bellosillo, president of FWN, said: “the increasing number of women in the world of work is not matched by additional protections for them.”

Beyond tax relief, the FWN is calling for a legislated wage hike and the abolition of regional wage boards to provide more stable economic support for families. The group also raised concerns regarding the safety of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the Middle East, noting that many women are forced to work overseas due to poverty and are now caught in the crossfire of Middle Eastern conflicts.

The SUKI Consumer Network said that current economic hardships are compounded by the privatization of essential utilities such as water and electricity. They are demanding the removal of the 12% VAT and excise taxes on basic necessities and an end to the Oil Deregulation Law. — Erika Mae P. Sinaking