Senate head opposes additional tax on sugar

By Dolly Yasa

BACOLOD City – Senate President Juan Miguel said that he will not agree to additional taxes on sugar nor for importation unless necessary.

Zubiri assured that with Negrense Paul Azcona at the helm of the Sugar Industry Administration (SRA), sugar importation will not be tolerated.

“Ara naman si Paul he will make sure that importation is done only when it is ultimately needed,” according to Zubiri whose roots are from southern Negros Occidental.

He further stressed that “We will no longer tolerate smuggling whether it’s technical or illegal smuggling”.

“Personally kabalo kamu ya nga number one supporter ako sang sugar industry. I think we should stop taxing our people whether it’s for sugar or for salt kay ang masa mas apektado gid sini. I think that it is very clear, under my watch budlayan gid na or it will never happen,” he added.

Earlier, Negros Occidental 5th district Rep. Dino Yulo said that he supports the call of the refiners group opposing an increase in sugar excise tax.

Yulo, a former member of the SRA, told reporters on Friday that “I support the call of the refiners’ association nga indi pag-pata-ason ang excise tax on sugar beverages specifically between refined sugar and high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).”

He further said that in case the price will hit P12 pesos per kilo, “our industrial users will revert to using HFCS, and it will render useless our fight against HFCS here in the province.”

“It will also result in an oversupply of refined sugar and will affect our millgate prices,” Yulo said.

Yulo issued this statement as opposition to the proposed tax increase on sweetened beverages continues to snowball.

The Philippine Association of Sugar Refiners, Inc. (PASRI) has called on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to junk the proposal of Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno.

Earlier, the Philippine Sugar Millers Association (PSMA) also objected to plans to increase the tax on sweetened beverages, stressing that it will only benefit multinational corporations at the expense of Filipino farmers and workers, who are saddled with a higher sugar excise tax rate.

The Diokno proposal reportedly aims to fund newly initiated socio-economic programs of the administration of President Marcos Jr., such as the food stamp program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

In a letter to President Marcos Jr., PASRI president Renato Cabati said that while they support government efforts in implementing various poverty alleviation programs, they oppose the imposition of higher taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB).