Group wants taxes on OFW remittance scrapped

MANILA, Philippines - An alliance of overseas Filipino workers (OFW), is urging the government to scrap altogether the tax imposed on remittances.

"The government imposed tax on OFW remittance should be the first to go. This is our call, and we demand no less," said Migrante International chair Connie Bragas-Regalado, adding that tax "best illustrates the parasitic makeup of this regime."

The group issued the statement following announcement of Finance Secretary Margarito Teves that the government is contemplating on bringing down remittance fees for OFWs as part of their medium and long term plans to cushion the impact of the record high 11.4% inflation rate.

Regalado said their group is prepared to bring this fight to the 2nd Global Forum on Migration and Development that is slated to be held in Manila this October.

"As if the billions of dollars of OFW remittances – a major life blood of our economy - aren’t enough, the Arroyo regime still has to burden our “Bagong Bayanis" (New Heroes) with additional taxes and charges," she said.

Migrante said a 15% Documentary Stamp Tax is charged by the government for every OFW remittance transaction.

"OFWs have been the country’s economic saviors for over three decades already; it is therefore high time for the government to do the saving," she said.

The group noted the accusation of Jun Lozada, the whistle-blower in the alleged overpriced national broadband network (NBN) project, early this year that the government treats OFWs and their hard earned money as mere "exhaust valves" of the “Arroyo regime."

"We don’t need empty rhetoric and praise releases from the government. What we need are concrete programs that would, at the very least, bring immediate economic relief for our OFWs especially in this time of unprecedented crisis in the country. And they could start by scrapping unjust charges and government taxes in OFW remittance," she said. - D’Jay Lazaro, GMANews.TV

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