SIN
TAX LAW
House Bill 5727, or the Sin Tax Bill, aims to
restructure the existing taxes imposed on alcohol and tobacco goods. Duties on
these products are a potential revenue source that will help fund the Universal
Health Care Program of the administration. Likewise, higher taxes and
consequently higher costs are seen as a deterrent to the consumption of “sin”
products, whose adverse effects are mostly borne by the poorer segments of
society.
Why do we supporting this bill?
Simply, to promote health by discouraging people from using this sin
products and to collect more revenue for healthcare. According to the Department of Health (DOH), the
Philippines have an estimated 17.3 million tobacco consumers, the most number
of smokers in Southeast Asia. Filipinos on average consume 1, 073 cigarette
sticks annually, while the smokers in the region consume less than a thousand
sticks yearly. Smoking is responsible for 71 percent of lung cancer deaths
in the world. DOH statistics reveal that 10 Filipinos die every hour
because of smoking. Meanwhile, drinking alcohol, though effects are relatively
less severe health-wise than smoking, but it can costs a number of individual
and society accidents like vehicle, violence or committing crimes, fetal
deformities, productivity losses, health care expenditures and most is suicide.
In the 20th of December 2012
President Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III reform the Sin Tax Bill into Law
in the Republic of the Philippines, saying it was an early Christmas gift for
the Filipinos. According to PNoy “We aim to make health benefits available for
all, regardless of wealth, the life of Filipinos is sacred.” A large part
of the revenues that will be collected would go to the government’s health care
program and for the construction and upgrade of local and major hospitals
nationwide. The bill is also expected to lessen the number of smokers and
alcohol drinkers in the country because of the increase in prices.
We know that these products can really be
addictive and hard to eliminate. But if we can do something to prevent this
addiction, we can start from the youth so that they can be a good example for
the other generations to come.
In this economic issue the Sin Tax Bill and
now approved by the government and became a Law in the Philippines. I believe
that these products are not a necessity and it is not a loss for us, in fact if
we continue to use these, it can cause our death. We can live without the “sin
products”. Also it helps our economy to generate more income in the Philippines.
On the other hand, it has a negative effect on
the farmer working in the tobacco plantation have enough reason to disagree in
the signing of this bill because of the effects once it is being signed. We
might also think of the same way as what these farmers are anticipating. If
this bill is being signed, there would be an increase in the price of
cigarettes and liquor thus, there would be a decrease of buyers and the income
of the tobacco industry will also decrease. Buyers might be discouraged to buy
these “sin products” because of its high price.
I as a Filipino citizen and as a youth I will
agree in the Sin Tax Law which our President approved even thought it can
affect the earnings of our farmers who work in the tobacco companies. It can
help our generation today to lessen the percent of people who died or having an
illness in using the sin product. For us to be free from those illness and
diseases we must be aware of the positive side of this Law and support for the
benefits of all and for the future. So, let us help one another and
promote the good health in our country.
