Suspension of 12% VAT on basic commodities sought anew

The immediate suspension of the 12 percent Value Added Tax (VAT) on basic commodities may help alleviate the suffering of Filipinos amid the ongoing economic crisis, said Gabriela on Monday, Oct. 17.

For the women’s group, this step will help bring down the prices of basic commodities such as, but not limited to, rice and sugar.

“Wala nang makain ang milyun-milyong pamilyang Pilipino at lalala pa ito kapag hindi [nasolusyonan ang krisis] (MIllions of Filipino families have nothing to eat and this will only get worse if this crisis will not be addressed),” said Gabriela Secretary-General Clarice Palce on Monday, Oct. 17.

This was released in time for the commemoration of World Food Day. The celebration, however, was dubbed by Gabriela, as well as other peasant groups, as “World Hunger Day,” citing the Global Report on Food Crisis which indicated that hunger is on an “unprecedented scale” across the globe.

Together with farmer organizations, Gabriela on Monday morning, trooped to the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) office to demand immediate and “substantial measures” amid the staggering food and economic crisis.