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[av_heading heading=’Better tax benefits for OFWs sought ‘ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY PRINCE GOLEZ
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Friday, August, 4, 2017
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MANILA – Overseas Filipinos workers (OFWs) sending home balikbayan boxes deserve tax perks, stressed Sen. Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara.
Affording them “appropriate tax benefits” is in line with the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA), Angara told the Department of Finance.
In an oversight committee review of the CMTA, Angara asked the Finance department to revise its implementing rules on duty and tax-free balikbayan boxes under Customs Administrative Order (AO) 5-2016.
“All balikbayan boxes per sender in any calendar year shall not exceed P150,000” in worth, the AO stated.
But the law allows an OFW to send up to three P150,000 worth of tax- and duty-free balikbayan boxes – or not exceeding P450,000 in a year – provided that the goods are not for commercial purposes, said Angara.
“Ang intensyon ng CMTA ay gawing tax-free ang balikbayan boxes na may halagang P150,000 times 3 kada taon, at hindi P150,000 divided by 3,” he said.
Finance assistant secretary Mark Joven said there is “ambiguity” in the language of the law.
Angara said they learned that an OFW usually sends packages to their loved ones back home every three or four months.
“Ang bawat balikbayan box ay karaniwang naglalaman ng P80,000 worth of items,” he said. “Para dagdag pakunswelo sa kanila, ginawa nating P150,000 ang tax-free kada kahon.”
Exempting balikbayan boxes from duties and taxes is only “[giving] justice to OFWs who remit billions of pesos every year,” said Angara./PN
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