Julia Christine Botin

Article (news)

Arthur Fuentes

ABS-CBN News

MANILA – The House of Representatives&#x27; tax policy panel on Monday approved a bill to abolish a decades-old travel tax.The House Committee on Ways and Means, chaired by Marikina Representative Miro Quimbo, greenlit a substitute measure consolidating 17 separate bills, including one filed by House Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander “Sandro” Marcos. The proposed legislation seeks to repeal the levy currently imposed on all departing Filipino citizens.The move is seen to ease the financial burden on Filipino travelers while shifting the funding of key state programs to the national budget.The travel tax currently funds tourism infrastructure, higher education, and cultural heritage. However, Quimbo argued that these sectors should not rely on the fluctuating volume of international departures.“Allow me to bounce off from last week’s session on the issue of the travel tax. Narinig na natin sa mga ahensya ang mga programang pinopondohan ng Travel Tax - para sa turismo, edukasyon at kultura. Kinikilala natin na importante ang lahat ng ito - pero hindi ito dapat magpatuloy at the expense and sacrifice of our Filipino travelers na karamihan ay middle class at kabataan,” Quimbo said.The lawmaker emphasized that the survival of such programs is &quot;too important to be dependent on unpredictable numbers,&quot; advocating instead for their inclusion in the General Appropriations Act.“Today, there are tens of millions of middle-class Filipinos whose voices, together with the poorest of the poor, are too often unheard in policy discussions. As Chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means, I must emphasize a basic principle that this committee shall continue to uphold: our tax system must remain progressive,” Quimbo added.The bill now moves to the Committee on Appropriations for further deliberation before heading to the plenary.

The move is seen to ease the financial burden on Filipino travelers while shifting the funding of key state programs to the national budget.

The move is seen to ease the financial burden on Filipino travelers while shifting the funding of key state programs to the national budget.

House panel OKs scrapping travel tax

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House panel OKs scrapping travel tax

Arthur Fuentes,

ABS-CBN News

Published March 09, 2026 01:02 PM PHT

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travel tax

House of Representatives

Miro Quimbo

tax panel

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