Comelec seeks additional P3 billion to offset vetoed poll worker tax exemption

To compensate for the tax on poll workers' honoraria, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Tuesday appealed to Congress for an additional P3 billion in barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) election funding.

"Kami po sa Comelec ay maninikluhod sa ating mga kagalang­ galang na miyembro ng Kongreso na sana po ay mapagbigyan din na 'yung mga guro naman natin, dahil natanggal 'yung tax exemption nila, mataasan yung bawat araw na honoraria na natatanggap po nila," said Comelec Chief George Garcia said during a House Suffrage and Electoral Reforms Committee hearing.

(We in the Comelec are pleading with the honorable members of Congress to grant the wishes of our teachers. Since their tax exemption was removed, we hope that their honoraria will be increased.)

Garcia said Comelec's P8.4 billion budget for the December 5, 2022 barangay and SK polls was given to the poll body before the tax exemption on teachers' honoraria was vetoed.

"Dahil sila po ay papatawan ng buwis sa kanilang tatanggaping honoraria, tataba po ng kaunti kung katulad po noong nakaraang eleksyon ang kanilang tatanggapin. Kung sakali po na dadagdagan po natin ang sahod ng ating mga guro para ma-compensate po sa pagkawala ng tax exemption po nila, P3 billion po, Mr. Chair," Garcia added.

(Since their honoraria will be taxed, the budget requirement will increase a bit for their honoraria to reach the same amount as what they got in the last election. If we do increase the teachers' salary to compensate for the absence of the tax exemption, we would need P3 billion.)

The honoraria for the members of an Electoral Board and an Electoral Board chairperson ranges from P6,000 to P10,000.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had vetoed the measure that exempted poll duty compensation from taxes, explaining that the exemption negated the progressivity of introduced tax reforms.

The veto thus had the effect of correcting "the inequity in the country 's tax system."

The House of Representatives Makabayan bloc, however, has since refiled the bill exempting election service honoraria from taxes, arguing that the exemption would only mean P138.6 million in foregone government revenues.

"While this loss means so little to the national coffers, it surely will be offset by truly progressive tax measures that levy more from the rich than the poor and the middle class," said the bloc.

"This amount means so much to the thousands of teachers and other poll service volunteers who rely on whatever benefits and savings they can get. Indeed, there is nothing more inequitable than depriving much from those who can hardly afford their basic needs, especially during these times of unabated inflation." — DVM, GMA News