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New tax measures not yet feasible this year — Carandang


Malacañang is still not keen on imposing new taxes this year, even though a state-funded think tank has recommended that the government should immediately craft tax measures to have enough funds to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015. While it considers the findings of the Philippine Institute of Development Studies (PIDS), the Aquino administration’s focus is to improve tax collections, said Ricky Carandang of the Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office. “We will consider the findings of the research institute… But raising taxes will be the very last possible resort we can go to in order to raise revenues," he said on government-run dzRB radio. Still, Carandang pointed that that if there is really a need to increase taxes, “we can always consider that next year." The PIDS had warned that if the government fails to enforce new tax measures by 2012, it might not have enough funds to meet the MDGs by 2015. PIDS senior research fellow Rosario Manasan said the “window of opportunity" is only until 2012, since legislating new tax measures on an election year, 2013, will only result in “diluted" measures. The think tank also said the government needs to legislate new tax measures to raise revenue-to-GDP (gross domestic product) ratio to 17.6-18 percent and to help finance programs that will promote economic growth and meet the MDGs. The MDGs are a set of specific and time-bound development goals that governments committed to achieve by 2015, with 1990 data as baseline. The eight MDGs include eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, achieving universal primary education, promoting gender equality/women empowerment, reducing child mortality, improving maternal health, combating diseases, ensuring environmental sustainability, and developing global partnership for development. — JE, GMA News

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