Any proposal for a tax increase to solve traffic congestions in Mero Manila and for the whole country is a weak argument to divert the fact that government backlogs on infrastructures for many decades as the real cause of the problem.
In plain view, imposing an increase for road users tax and raising registration fees on vehicles is a mismatched concept to address the problem.
First of all, the government should admit and apologize that they have failed to serve, and the huge backlog on the infrastructure needs of the country is by their fault.
The growth of the private sector who makes the economy is actually a job well done, while the counterpart government who was unable to answer the demanding growth of the private sector is an embarrassing performance.
Imposing new taxes complicates more our problem, it is not a real-time solution, but rather,
there should be no taxes if we care for the economy.
House Bill 4695 filed by Albay Rep. Joey Salceda to increase car registration fees to use revenues collected for public transportation do not represent to be an appropriate answer to the public transportation problem, it only adds more.
Where are the national budgets allocated for public transportation programs of the government? It appears on the proposed bill that we were out of funds for public transportation.
The bill thinks that because of the increased and very expensive car registration fees, people can no longer afford and will be forced to take public transport, a kind of blatant attack on the middle-class and because of that, we will expect reduced cars on public roads significantly.
This bill discriminately disenfranchises ordinary citizens and reserves to the affluents the use of public roads.
The bill is anti-small and micro-businesses who by their small capitals operate small fleets, and they represent the bulk of our economy will surely be affected.
Much more, ours is a traffic problem, and how come that the idea for the solution to the problem is to tax the people?
Instead of punishing the government for its bad service, it is the people that are punished and not rewarded for their exemplary building of our economy.
We should liberalize the private sector and encourage them more to speed the growth of our GDP, and the more logistics and mobility of the public, will certainly result in vibrant commercial activity and spur growth.
On the contrary, we should incentivize the public of lower taxation that their growth, momentum, and speed will result in a better and bigger economy of the country.
Tax cuts in actual will result in a better and stronger economy.
This opinion is in reference to the opinion article as read HERE
