Aquino signs sin tax into law

President Benigno Aquino III on Thursday signed into law the “Sin Tax Reform Act”.
“Sa araw pong ito, nilagdaan natin, sa wakas — ulitin ko lang po, sa wakas — ang isang batas na magsisilbing maagang Pamasko sa milyun-milyong Pilipino — mga Pilipinong masasaklaw sa abot-kamay ng Universal Health Care program; mga Pilipinong makikinabang sa mga bagong klinika at ospital na mapopondohan at maipapatayo; mga Pilipinong maililihis sa bisyo ng paninigarilyo at labis na pag-inom. Batas na po ang ipinaglaban nating Sin Tax Reform Act,” the President said in his speech.
The new sin tax aims to restructure the existing taxes imposed on alcohol and tobacco goods. Duties on these products are a potential revenue source that will help fund the Universal Health Care Program of the administration.
Likewise, higher taxes — and consequently higher costs — are seen as a deterrent to the consumption of “sin” products, whose adverse effects are mostly borne by the poorer segments of society.
“Malinaw po ang batayang prinsipyo ng batas na ito: Hangad nating gawing abot-kamay para sa lahat ang benepisyong pangkalusugan, mayaman man o mahirap. Sagrado po kasi ang buhay ng Pilipino,” the President said.
According to the Department of Health (DOH), the Philippines has an estimated 17.3 million tobacco consumers, the most number of smokers in Southeast Asia. Filipinos on average consume 1, 073 cigarette sticks annually, while the smokers in the region consume less than a thousand sticks yearly. This high consumption rate is seen as a result, among others, of the very low cigarette prices in the country.
Experts said smoking is responsible for 71 percent of lung cancer deaths in the world. Consequently, lung cancer is the leading form of cancer in the Philippines. DOH statistics reveal that 10 Filipinos die every hour because of smoking. [PNA]