People’s Fund Bill

You can give CHR 5% of your taxes with Sen. Bam’s People’s Fund Bill

Amid the public outcry over the P1,000 budget given by the House of Representatives to the Commission on Human Rights (CHR), Sen. Bam Aquino has renewed his push for the approval of his measure that gives taxpayers a chance to decide to which agency they want their taxes to go.

“We want Filipinos to get involved in governance and the budget process. The People’s Fund Bill gives them the chance to do that,” said Sen. Bam, referring to Senate Bill No. 699 that he filed last July 20, 2016.

 “Galing sa pinaghirapan ng taumbayan ang ginagamit na pondo ng pamahalaan kaya nararapat lang natin silang konsultahin kung paano ito gagamitin,” added Sen. Bam.

Sen. Bam made the pronouncement after netizens started the “#GiveMyTaxToCHR” campaign after the House gave the CHR a 1,000-peso budget for 2018. Netizens have demanded that their tax be given to the CHR instead to the PNP’s Oplan Tokhang, which was handed a P900-million budget for 2018.

 If approved, the People’s Fund Bill creates mechanisms for an individual taxpayer to allocate five percent (5%) of his or her income tax for any of the following: (1) an accredited charity or civil society organization; (2) a priority national or local government project; or (3) a legitimate political party.

Under this bill, the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) shall establish the mechanism that would enable individual taxpayers to select beneficiaries upon filing of their annual income tax returns.

Meanwhile, an inter-agency committee led by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) shall determine the eligibility of respective organizations, and shall likewise set the conditions, guidelines, and reporting requirements for the receipt and use of the funds by the benefitting organizations.

 “Kapag ito’y naisabatas, may kapangyarihan na ang taxpayer na piliin kung saan pupunta ang porsyento ng perang ito. Ginagawa na ito sa ibang mga bansa at panahon nang gawin ito sa Pilipinas,” Sen. Bam said.

BIR Opposes Sen. Bam’s “People’s Fund Bill”

A proposed “People’s Fund Bill”, authored by Senator Bam Aquino, will give taxpayers the power to choose where to allocate five percent of their income tax.

Sen. Aquino reiterated this during Tuesday’s hearing of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, regarding Senate Bill No. 1356 or the “People’s Fund Bill”.

The People’s Fund Bill creates mechanisms for taxpayers to allocate part of their income taxes to an accredited charity or civil society organization, a priority national or local government project, or a legitimate political party.

According to Sen. Aquino, the “People’s Fund Bill” could very well complement the government’s P130-billion rehabilitation plan for provinces devastated by super-typhoon Yolanda.

“Through the People’s Fund Bill, the public can help survivors of Yolanda more quickly get back on their feet,” Aquino said.

The senator stressed that the government needs all the help it can get from different sectors in the aftermath of several calamities that hit the country this year.

During the hearing, Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) Commissioner Kim Henares expressed apprehension over the passage of new tax reform bills.

In his response, Sen. Aquino said, “We disagree with the BIR on this issue. We understand their objective to collect more taxes for the country, but we also need space to support initiatives that will promote the development of our people and increase their participation in governance.”

Henares later on said that the government is ready to implement the “People’s Fund Bill” if it will be enacted into law.

Henares also called for a stringent accreditation process for charity or civil society organization, which stand to benefit from the bill.

 

First 100 Days: Sen. Bam Champions Inclusive Growth, Reforms

In his first 100 days in office, Sen. Bam Aquino has proven himself to be a champion of inclusive growth and reform through his bills and other initiatives.

Despite being the youngest senator in the 16th Congress, Aquino has been given the task of leading the Senate Committee on Trade, Commerce and Entrepreneurship, and the Committee on Youth, owing to his vast experience as a globally awarded social entrepreneur and youth leader.

Inclusive growth push

As part of his commitment to push for inclusive growth, Sen. Aquino hit the ground running by filing a slew of priority measures that aim to empower the poor through jobs, livelihood, and access to market and opportunities.

Among them are the Social Value Bill, the Social Enterprise Bill, the Youth Entrepreneurship Bill, the Go Negosyo Bill, the Microfinance Development Institutions Bill, the Fair Competition Bill, and the “Pagkaing Pinoy para sa Batang Pinoy” Bill.

Aquino believes that these bills, once approved, will help solve poverty by generating more jobs and creating more livelihood opportunities through the promotion of micro, small, and medium-scale businesses.

“For me, inclusive growth needs to go through business. There is no way that we can achieve inclusive growth without engaging our countrymen in jobs or in enterprise building,” the entrepreneur-turned-lawmaker said.

“Para po sa akin, ‘yan ang isang pinakamalinaw na kailangang tahaking daan. Hindi po natin makukuha ang inclusive growth o malawakang kaunlaran kung hindi tayo tutulong sa mga kababayan natin na magnegosyo o magkatrabaho.”

Aquino also co-convened an Inter-Sectoral Committee on Business Empowerment (ISCBE), together with the Department of Finance (DOF), the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), Landbank, and private sector representatives such as Gawad Kalinga and CARD-MRI. The ISCBE meets regularly to promote greater convergence around government’s inclusive growth agenda and to develop synergistic solutions to unemployment and poverty.

As Chairman of the Senate Committee on Trade, Commerce and Entrepreneurship, Sen. Aquino also brought together key government agencies and members of the private sector and the academe to push for ease of doing business and to assess the country’s readiness for the ASEAN integration in 2015.

Reforms in governance, youth empowerment

The young lawmaker was also the first legislator to suspend his own Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF). He also pushed for its abolition when the so-called P10-billion pork barrel scam was uncovered.

In line with his call to abolish the PDAF, Aquino filed the People’s Fund Bill that will give the people greater control over public funds. Through this measure, taxpayers will be given greater control over where public funds should be allocated.

Sen. Aquino has also filed Senate Bill No. 1090, or the Liga ng Bayaning Kabataan Bill, which seeks to overhaul the current Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) to instill among Filipino youth the true spirit of volunteerism and “save them from the clutches of partisan politics.”

The young senator also convened stakeholders and groups pushing for SK reforms and anti-discrimination against the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community, to further empower these communities and give them a voice.

Aquino expressed confidence that some of his priority measures will be enacted into law, particularly his inclusive growth bills, to help the government in addressing the high unemployment and poverty incidences in the country.

“At the end of the day, if we were able to solve the problem of inclusive growth, we’ll be one step closer to the Philippines that we would want for ourselves,” Aquino said.

Bam Files “People’s Fund Bill”

In light of his earlier pronouncements regarding the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) and the need to give taxpayers greater control over public funds, Senator Bam Aquino has filed the People’s Fund Bill.

The People’s Fund Bill creates mechanisms for an individual taxpayer to allocate five percent (5%) of his or her income tax for any of the following: (1) an accredited charity or civil society organization; (2) a priority national or local government project; or (3) a legitimate political party.

Under this bill, the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) shall establish the mechanism that would enable individual taxpayers to select beneficiaries upon filing of their annual income tax returns.

Meanwhile, an inter-agency committee led by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) shall determine the eligibility of respective organizations, and shall likewise set the conditions, guidelines, and reporting requirements for the receipt and use of the funds by the benefitting organizations.

“The people’s clamor for transparency, accountability, and good governance is growing louder and stronger. Government must heed the call of the people and institutionalize mechanisms that will ensure greater citizen involvement on how public funds are being spent,” Aquino stresses.

“To be clear, hindi ito bagong buwis na ipapataw sa mga tao.  Ang People’s Fund ay manggagaling sa binabayad na ng mamamayan na tax kada taon.  Ang pinag-iba lang ay merong kapangyarihan ang mga taxpayer na piliin kung saan pupunta ang porsyento ng perang ito.  Ginagawa na ito sa ibang mga bansa; panahon na, na gawin ito sa Pilipinas.”

“After all,” Aquino continues, “our estimate of the People’s Fund is around ten billion pesos.  Mas maliit pa rin sa papalitan niyang PDAF natwenty-five billion pesos.  Sa kadulu-dulahan, nakatipid pa rin ang gobyerno ng malaking halaga na ngayo’y napupunta sa pork barrel.”

Photo source: Christina Mendez

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