Pass Senate Bill 2272

As schools are poised to resume classes this September, Citizen Watch Philippines lauds the passing of House Bill 9913 in the third and final reading under the House of Representatives.

We strongly support the call of the education sector and most especially the linked sectors of its ecosystem in this urgent policy intervention to finally rectify the onerous tax provisions that were to be imposed by BIR RR 5-2021.

In this light, we stand in solidarity with the education sector in its appeal to the Senate Committee on Ways and Means for the swift approval of their counterpart bill, SB 2272.

We also support the temporary reduction of private school income tax to 1% between July 1, 2020 and June 30, 2023, as authorized by Republic Act No. 11534 or the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises (CREATE) law. Upon expiration, the tax rate will revert to 10%.

The beleaguered educational institutions and the countless teachers and learners displaced by the pandemic, alongside a host of allied industries seriously threatened by BIR RR 5-2021 deserve immediate relief with the passage of these enabling tax measures.

We also believe that only by respecting the complementary and supplementary roles that the public and private educational systems in their role of delivering high-quality education as a GREAT EQUALIZER and gateway to prosperity for all Filipinos.