A new idea has been brought to the Senate that might make a lot of travelers happy. Senator Alan Peter Cayetano wants to remove the travel tax that Filipinos have been paying for almost 50 years.
This travel tax is a fee that people have to pay when they go to other countries. It was created back in the 1970s, through something called Presidential Decree No. 1183. But Senator Cayetano now says it’s “outdated” — meaning, it’s old and not useful anymore.
“It’s time to give travelers a break,” Senator Cayetano said. “We should remove this tax so more people can enjoy traveling, and so tourism can grow stronger.”
The senator also said that all Filipinos — especially senior citizens and people with disabilities — should be able to travel without paying extra fees. He believes that everyone should have the freedom to move around, and getting rid of this travel tax is one way to help that happen.
Now, you might wonder: “But if the government stops collecting the travel tax, won’t it lose money?”
Yes — the government might lose around ₱4 billion. That’s a lot!
But Senator Cayetano said the country could actually earn way more — around ₱299 billion — because more people would travel, stay in hotels, eat in restaurants, ride buses, buy souvenirs, and visit tourist spots. That means more jobs and more money for local businesses.
He also wants to remove the travel tax for people from other ASEAN countries (like Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, etc.) when they visit the Philippines. This is part of an agreement called the ASEAN Tourism Agreement, which started back in 2002. It says that member countries should slowly remove extra travel fees for each other.
In short, Senator Cayetano’s plan is to make traveling easier and cheaper for everyone, especially for Filipinos, by removing an old tax that no longer makes sense today.
