HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES APPROVES TAX RELIEF FOR MEDICAL FRONTLINERS
Photo credits to MJ Jose and Mara Lagdamen
House of Representatives Approves Tax Relief for Medical Frontliners. The house of representatives has passed on Monday, February 1, the proposal of providing medical frontliners an income tax relief for the year 2020.
The proposal was filed last December, also known as Bill No. 8259 or the “Handog sa mga Bayaning Lumalaban Kontra COVID-19 Act”. This bill that was filed by a group of congressmen led by Deputy Speaker Mikee Romero of 1-Pacman party-list is intended to give all qualified and are considered medical frontliners to be granted a 25% discount to their personal income taxes (PIT) for the previous taxable year.
Also, the bill looks to appreciate the efforts and sacrifices of the medical frontliners amidst the nation’s long-running battle against the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This will serve as a token of appreciation to medical practitioners who render public service to the underprivileged and needy patients,” Cong. Romero stated.
The House of Representatives has come up with a unanimous decision in passing the proposed bill with 237 affirmative votes, no negatives, and no no-votes.
The bill identifies medical frontliners as “persons who are engaged in health-related services and are employed in hospitals, clinics, or other medical institutions, whether public or private, which treat patients affected with COVID-19”.
Also, administrative and support personnel and all persons employed in a medical institution are considered as medical frontliner.
Furthermore, the bill is exclusive only to the salary of the frontliners related to their line of duty as medical personnel. The frontliners’ other taxable assets like a personal business, investments, and other passive income not related to serving the needy patients, particularly of COVID-19, are beyond the scope of House Bill No. 8259.
The Handog sa Bayaning Lumalaban Kontra COVID-19 Act has revised some parts of the Republic Act 8424 and the Republic Act 11469, also known as Bayanihan to Heal as One-Act.
HB No. 8259 gives the Secretary of Finance the authority to extend the payment of the medical fronliners’ income taxes for not more than six months, much to the delight of the medical frontliners.
Earlier this year, President Duterte has also signed an Executive Order granting frontliners a Php10,000 one-time service recognition incentive (SRI) and Php3,000 gratuity pay to all contractual and job order frontline workers across the country. This measure is to appreciate all the efforts of all frontliners in all aspects of public service.
