Pagbawas sa taripa ng angkat na langis hindi sapat

Nangamba ang mga senador nitong Miyerkules na hindi sapat ang pagbabawas ng taripa sa inaangkat na langis upang pagaanin ang negatibong epekto nito sa bansa at imbes ay hiniling na tanggalin muna ang 12 porsyentong Value Added Tax sa langis. Ayon kay Sen. Francis Escudero, ang hakbang ng Malacañang na ibaba ang taripa sa dalawang porsyento, mula sa tatlong porsyento, ay halos walang magiging epekto sa tingiang presyo ng produktong petrolyo. “The cut doesn't quite make the cut in terms of cushioning the impact of high oil prices," pahayag ni Escudero. Sinabi pa niya na mas mainam kung tinanggal na lamang ng tuluyan ni Arroyo ang tatlong porsyentong taripa sa inaangkat na langis habang umiiwas siya sa usaping huwag munang ipataw ang 12 porsyentong value added tax sa produktong petrolyo. Ayon kay Sen. Loren Legarda, hindi siguradong maibababa ang presyo ng langis sa bansa sa pagbabawas ng taripa sa inaangkat na langis. "This is insufficient, ineffective and unsatisfactory," sinabi ni Legarda, chairman ng Senate economic affairs committee. Iginiit ni Legarda na bahagya lamang mararamdaman ng publiko ang epekto ng pagbabawas ng taripa. Nagbabala rin siya na kung hindi maaagapan ang pagtaas ng halaga ng pamasahe, magiging sanhi ito ng mas malawak na kahirapan at mas seryosong mga suliranin. Samantala, iminungkahi ni Sen. Panfilo Lacson na mamahagi ng fuel discount coupons sa lahat ng public utility drivers upang sila ang tunay na makinabang sa pagbabawas ng taripa sa langis. Nanawagan din siya sa pulisya na paigtingin ang kampanya laban sa mga nangongotong at nangingikil na ang karaniwang biktima ay ang mga mahihirap na tsuper. "We should come up with a package of measures, tax as well as non-tax, in order to alleviate the burden of our public utility drivers who are the hardest hit by the prevailing cost of oil in the world market", pahayag ni Lacson. "Summit or no summit, common sense and political will should produce a package of measures and government interventions that would relieve our people from the anxieties of the unpredictable and increasingly difficult world oil market," idinagdag niya. Pinayuhan din ni Legarda ang gobyerno na maghigpit ng sinturon “exempt fuel oil, including gasoline and diesel, from the 12 percent value added tax, even if only as an emergency measure. What we need now is to survive the energy crisis while preparing for a future of self-sufficiency in energy needs." "We must come up with long-term solutions because the clock is ticking on not only the country's, but the entire world's dependence on oil," ayon kay Legarda. Hinikayat pa ni Legarda ang pamahalaan na isulong ang mga alternatibong mapagkukunan ng enerhiya upang tanggalin ang sobrang “dependence" sa inaangkat na langis na tumuntong na sa $100 bawat bariles sa pandaigdigang pamilihan. Nagkasundo naman sina Sen. Manuel Roxas II at Escudero na tanggalin na ng tuluyan ang VAT sa langis o bawasan din ito. "Malacañang’s intransigence on this matter shows that the much ballyhooed oil summit is all for show. It will be a scripted monologue because government will only be talking to itself," ayon kay Escudero. Sinabi din ni Escudero na dapat sinisimulan na ng Pangulo na maghanap pa ng ibang paraan kung gusto nitong solusyonan ang problema sa mataas na presyo ng langis. "If the motive of reducing the tariff on oil is to signal the President's concern on rising oil prices, then it clearly fell short of its target because a one percent cut, by any standard is unalloyed tokenism," pahayag ni Escudero. "[The] math on oil would show that foregone revenues from the complete scrapping of the tariff on oil will be recouped by the government from the windfall in VAT she so dearly loves," idinagdag niya. Para naman kay Roxas, kailangang pagbutihan ng gobyerno ang pagkulekta ng buwis bago ibasura ang kanyang mungkahing tanggalan muna ng VAT ang mga produktong petrolyo. “First of all, the government can make the collections much more efficient. Second, why are they passing on to us the problem of their ineffectivity, their inability to perform their duty?" ayon kay Roxas. “They say they can’t do their task and keep collecting VAT on oil products. Let’s turn this equation a bit: Do your job well, give back to us our money, because we need it at this time," idinagdag nito. Ipinaliwanag ni Roxas na ang buwis ay hindi pera ng gobyerno kundi ng tao. “People are going to spend this, and when they do, the government will get it back anyway. The only challenge to government is to do what it ought to do anyway, which is to be an efficient collector of the tax." “We have here something that the government can do – remove the VAT on petroleum products. In effect, we pump P4 with each liter of diesel, P65 with each 11-kilo LPG tank, back into the economy, and give our people much needed relief," ayon sa kanya. - Mark J. Ubalde, GMANews.TV