Pass travel tax abolition bill ahead of holiday rush, says Quimbo

MANILA, Philippines — Marikina Rep. Miro Quimbo on Tuesday called for the quick approval of a bill scrapping the travel tax, a charge on overseas travel that he described as burdensome for Filipino families planning holiday trips abroad.

“The holiday rush is approaching, and many of our countrymen are already planning their trips. That is why we are calling for the swift passage of the bill aimed at removing the travel tax, in order to reduce the expenses of every Filipino family,” Quimbo, who heads the House Ways and Means Committee, said in a statement in Filipino.

Filipino travelers pay a P1,620 tax when flying economy and P2,700 in first class under a 1970s law that lawmakers said has outlived its purpose and now hampers overseas travel. 

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Republic Act No. 1478 first imposed the travel tax in 1956, and Presidential Decree No. 1183 amended it in 1977. 

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Exempt from the tax are overseas Filipino workers, Filipino permanent residents overseas who stayed less than a year in the Philippines, and children aged two years and below.  

READ: Travel tax abolition could hurt tourism infra – Tieza

The House had passed its version of the measure on final reading in March, while its counterpart bills are pending with the Senate ways and means committee. The proposal is part of the Marcos administration’s priority legislative agenda.

Quimbo said abolishing the travel tax could save a family of four flying economy P6,480, underscoring the bill’s significance for families seeking to travel abroad.

“For a family that has been saving for months just to visit their relatives or go on vacation, every peso saved matters,” Quimbo said. “The P1,620 travel tax per passenger is a significant amount that they could instead use for other needs while traveling.” /das