BAGUIO CITY – Aliping announced early last week that House Bill 1039, otherwise known as“An Act Exempting Persons with Disability from the Value-Added Tax on Certain Goods and Services”is now a law.
Aliping said “Republic Act 10754, was signed into law by Benigno Aquino on March 24 and more than a million disabled Filipinos will finally enjoy tax exemptions at par with the perks granted to senior citizens, maximizing the benefits that they deserve under the law.”
Several PWD groups earlier expressed concern that the bill might suffer the same fate as the proposed P2,000 pension hike for Social Security System pensioners, which was vetoed by President Aquino because of its financial implications.
The Philippine Statistics Authority has estimated the PWD population in the country at 1.5 million.
“This measure will grant our PWDs the same privileges enjoyed by senior citizens,” said Aliping who was also campaigning for PWD and journalist Art Allad-iw to champion the cause of PWDs in the Baguio City Council.
This is an addition to house bills authored and co-authored by Aliping that were enacted into law.
Aliping ranks among the top ten congressmen with the most number of bills, authored and co-authored, that were enacted into law and among the top 15 in most number of bills approved on 3rd reading based on Index Service Statistical Reports of the House of Representatives.
Although only in his first term as congressman, Aliping has to date authored 25 and co-authored 142 House measures. Out of this total, one-half has been approved on 3rd Reading by the House of Representatives, 28 of which are now Republic Acts, four are awaiting action by the President, and 42 are pending action by the Senate, while seven measures were adopted as House Resolutions.
Like senior citizens, PWDs are eligible for a 20-percent discount certain goods and services, PWDs had to pay the 12-percent VAT.
“This is in line with the time honored principle that those with less in life should have more in law,” Rep. Aliping stressed./Carl C. Taawan
