VAT is not bad after all.

[PhilCESM]

doesn't mean if a country's economy is doing good, there won't be citizens working abroad. We are now living in a BORDERLESS WORLD u know. We Filipinos are not the only ones doing it...Canadians migrate, Kiwis migrate also. Even Chinese and Koreans, and so on and so forth.

and of course, this is OT.

on the topic, we are now reaping the rewards of VAT...

I Agree with you. Like here in UK. There are more British coming out of this country. The same things with Germans, French, Italian and other nationals of reach countries.

This is one thing I want everyone to remember. We are now in Global age...people who are against of this, are the people who wants our country moving backward. I didn't mean Jose Maria Sison's Puppets, but kinda.

About VAT. The fault of the government is the lack of initiative in counter-propaganda with the people who are against of VAT, peoples who wants our country to move backward.

[akosabni]

it would be ok for me if you think moving backward is bad, 'coz i think the present is worst

ako lang ... sakit lang kaayo kong g'unsa paggasto atong buhis

... safe ba ta mag-lakaw lakaw sa gabii
... kong na'ay krimen mahitabo nato, wa ba tay i-bayad sa pulis
... ok ba ang roads nato (walay liba-ong), lighted ba ang streets
... free ba gyud ang education or naa pay amotan
... naa ba koy mapalit ug pagka-on og dli ba ni makahilo
... basic needs ra akong gusto ma-uli sa akong buhis nga g'bayad ... is this so much to ask for?

also, they say a big lump of our taxes goes to paying our debts ... nag-kagamay ba ni atong utang or nag kadako d lang sa interest pero sa ba-o na sab nga utang

kung vat ang tubag ani, padak-an cguro nato kay aron dali ra ang epik

[alterX]

yeah, but this one i'll take it with a grain of salt. no question about taxation at all, no brainer there. i thought all the while that it's the dollar remittances that floats our economy & still do. imo, the gov't didn't give it due recognition (coz it will put them to shame) & instead, they put the laurels to themselves. salute to our silent heroes, .

[akosabni]

... got this email 2 weeks ago ... just want to share it ... its quit long but well written, hope you read all the way to the end ... Hopefully, it will ignite some positive action on everyone


"To All Filipinos Everywhere"

I used to think that corruption and criminality in the

Philippines were caused by poverty. But recent events

tell me this isn't true.

It is one thing to see people turn into drug addicts,

prostitutes, thieves and murderers because of hunger

and poverty, but what excuse do these rich, educated

people have that could possibly explain their bizarre

behavior? And to think I was always so relieved when

petty snatchers got caught and locked away in jail

because I never fully realized that the big time

thieves were out there, making the laws and running

our country. Can it get any worse than this?

Every night, I come home and am compelled to turn on

my TV to watch the latest turn of events. I am

mesmerized by these characters. They are not men. They

are caricatures of men—too unreal to be believable and

too bad to be real.

To see these "honorable" crooks lambast each other,

call each one names, look each other in the eye and

accuse the other of committing the very same crimes

that they themselves are guilty of, is so comical and

appalling that I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

It is entertainment at its worst!

Criminals in 'barong'

I have never seen so many criminals roaming around

unfettered and looking smug until now. These criminals

wear suits and barong, strut around with the

confidence of the rich and famous, inspire fear and

awe from the very citizens who voted them to power,

bear titles like "Honorable," "Senator,"

"Justice," "General" and worse, "President."

Ironically, these lawless individuals practice law,

make our laws, enforce the law. And we wonder why our

policemen act the way they do! These are their leaders

and the leaders of this nation—Robin Hoodlum and his

band of moneymen. Their motto? "Rob the poor, moderate

the greed of the rich."

It makes me wonder where on earth these people came

from, and what kind of upbringing they had to make

them act the way they do for all the world to see. It

makes me wonder what kind of schools they went to,

what kind of teachers they had, what kind of

environment would produce such creatures who can lie,

cheat and steal from an already indebted country and

from the impoverished people they had vowed to serve.

It makes me wonder what their children and

grandchildren think of them, and if they are breeding

a whole new generation of improved Filipino crooks and

liars with maybe a tad more style but equally

negligible conscience. Heaven forbid!

Taxpayer

I am an ordinary citizen and taxpayer. I am blessed

with a job that pays for my needs and those of my

family's, even though 30 percent of my earnings go to

the nation's coffers. Just like others with my lot, I

have complained time and again because our government

could not provide enough of the basic services that I

expect and deserve. Rutted roads, poor educational

system, poor social services, poor health services,

poor everything.

But I have always thought that was what all Third

World countries were all about, and my complaints

never amounted to anything.

And then this. Scandalous government deals. Plundering

presidents pointing fingers. Senators associated with

crooks. Congressmen who accept bribes. Big-time

lawyers on the side of injustice. De Venecia ratting

on his boss only after his interminable term has

ended, Enrile inquiring about someone's morality! The

already filthy rich Abalos and Arroyo wanting more

money than they or their great grandchildren could

ever spend in a lifetime.

Joker making a joke of his own "pag bad ka, lagot ka!"

slogan. Defensor rendered defenseless. General Razon

involved in kidnapping. Security men providing

anything but a sense of security. And it's all about

money, money, money that the average Juan de la Cruz

could not even imagine in his dreams. Is it any wonder

why our few remaining decent and hardworking citizens

are leaving to work in other countries?

And worst of all, we are once again saddled with a

power-hungry President whose addiction has her

clinging on to it like barnacle on a rusty ship.

"Love (of power) is blind" takes a whole new meaning

when PGMA time and again turns a blind eye to her

husband's financial deals. And still blinded with all

that is happening, she opts to traipse around the

world with her cohorts in tow while her country is in

shambles.

Disgust

They say the few stupid ones like me who remain in the

Philippines are no longer capable of showing disgust.

I don't agree. Many like me feel anger at the

brazenness of men we call our leaders, embarrassment

to share the same nationality with them, frustration

for our nation and helplessness at my own

ineffectuality. It is not that I won't make a stand.

It is just that I am afraid my actions would only be

futile. After all, these monsters are capable of

anything. They can hurt me and my family. They already

have, though I may not yet feel it.

But I am writing this because I need to do something

concrete. I need to let others know that ordinary

citizens like me do not remain lukewarm to issues that

would later affect me and my children.

I want to make it known that there are also Filipinos

who dream of something better for the Philippines . I

want them to know that my country is not filled with

scalawags and crooks in every corner, and that there

are citizens left who believe in decency, fairness,

the right to speak, the right to voice out ideas, the

right to tell the people we have trusted to lead us

that they have abused their power and that it is time

for them to step down.

Summon power of good

I refuse to let this country go to hell because it is

the only country I call mine and it is my

responsibility to make sure I have done what I could

for it.

Those of us who do not have the wealth, power or

position to battle the evil crime lords in government

can summon the power of good. We can pray. We can do

this with our families every night. We can offer

petitions every time we celebrate Mass. We can ask

others to pray, too, including relatives and friends

here and overseas. And we can offer sacrifices along

with our petitions, just so we can get Him to hear our

message that we are desperate in ridding our nation of

these vermin. After all, they cannot be more powerful

than God!

I implore mothers out there to raise your children the

best way you can. Do not smother, pamper, or lavish

them with too much of the material comforts of life

even if you can well afford them. Teach them that

there are more important things in this world.

Teach kids honesty, fair play

I beg all fathers to spend time with their children,

to teach them the virtues of hard work, honesty, fair

play, sharing, dignity and compassion, right from the

sandbox till they are old enough to go on their own.

Not just in your homes, but at work, in school,

everywhere you go. Be good role models. Be shining

examples for your children so they will learn to be

responsible adults who will carry and pass on your

family name with pride and honor.

I call on educators and teachers—we always

underestimate the powerr of your influence on the minds

of our youth. Encourage them to be aware of what is

happening in their surroundings. Instill in them a

love of their country, inculcate in them the value of

perseverance in order to gain real, worthwhile

knowledge, help us mold our children into honorable

men and women.

Encourage our graduates, our best and brightest, to do

what they can to lift this country from the mire our

traditional politicians have sunk us into. The youth

is our future, and it would be largely because of you,

our educators, that we will be able to repopulate the

seats of power with good leaders, presidents,

senators, congressmen, justices, lawmakers, law

enforcers and lawful citizens.

I ask all students, young people and young

professionals everywhere to look around and get

involved in what is happening. Do not let your youth

be an excuse for failure to concern yourselves with

the harsh realities you see.

But neither let this make you cynical, because we need

your idealism and fresh perspective just as you need

the wisdom of your elders. YOUR COUNTRY NEEDS YOU! Let

your voices be heard. Do what you can for this land of

your ancestors and your heritage.

Use technology and all available resources at hand to

spread good. Text meaningful messages to awaken social

conscience. Try your best to fight moral decay because

I promise you will not regret it when you become

parents yourselves. You will look back at your past

misdeeds and pray that your children will do better

than you did.

Remember that there are a few who are capable of

running this country. You can join their ranks and

make their numbers grow.. We are tired of the old

trapos. We need brave idealistic leaders who will

think of the greater good before anything else. Do

your utmost to excel in your chosen field. Be good

lawyers, civil servants, accountants, computer

techies, engineers, doctors, military men so that when

you are called to serve in government, you will have

credibility and a record that can speak for itself.

For love of this country, for the future of our

children, for the many who have sacrificed and died to

uphold our rights and ideals, I urge you to do what

you can. As ordinary citizens, we can do much more for

the Philippines than sit around and let crooks lead us

to perdition. We owe ourselves this. And we owe our

country even more.

[LytSlpr]

VAT is the most FAIR tax because it is applied to everybody.

[giddyboy]

yeah, but this one i'll take it with a grain of salt. no question about taxation at all, no brainer there. i thought all the while that it's the dollar remittances that floats our economy & still do. imo, the gov't didn't give it due recognition (coz it will put them to shame) & instead, they put the laurels to themselves. salute to our silent heroes, .

i don't agree. haven't u reading the news? the gov't particularly the BSP admits that the OFW remittances are a big factor in keeping our economy afloat and they also give due recognition to them as silent heroes. u seen Manny Villar's infomercial lately?

but it's not only it. One big factor also is the fiscal reforms done by the present admin. and that included the EVAT law.

[giddyboy]

VAT

The VAT, an indirect tax on the sales of goods and services

In his book, The Globalization of Poverty, world-renowned economist Michel Chossudovsky describes the VAT as an imposition of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank (WB) on debt-ridden Third World countries. The VAT, he says, is a mechanism for producing needed revenues for debt servicing.

well, we can't do about it since we are at knees with IMF and WB ever since we borrowed money from them. That's why nowadays, we slowly wanting to be independent from the west by borrowing from China instead. and of course, the downside was the controversies going w/ it.

Lets move over to the reality of things in our country

A 2004 study by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) placed the yearly revenue losses from corruption at 13 percent of the national budget. However, the National Tax Research Center (NTRC) estimates annual corruption losses at 20-30 percent.

Meanwhile, yearly losses due to tax leakages ranged from P215 billion ($3.92 billion) to P285 billion ($5.20 billion).

the reality is, panahon pa nang mampor nahitabo oi. worst case was during Marcos regime. ang SOP lisod wagtangon coz sadly it's the lifeblood of our politicians. It is just a question of how to minimize it.

So in closing , think about it for a minute my fellow istoryans - While Taxes are okay for a countrys growth, it is not okay to pay taxes on political shortcomings

my 2 cents

yes, i do agree but it's not only political shortcomings but also financial and operational management shortcomings. It all started from Marcos time and unfortunately, we are still feeling the effects up to now.

Expanding the VAT to EVAT is one of the best solutions to our economy, though a hard decision to make and very unpopular. No questions about that.

[cdburgh]

VAT is good to the country WHEN properly utilized.

[mannyamador]

Debt servicing can be both good and bad. If the debts were used for development and incurred without anomalies, then they should be paid back when possible. But if the debts are anomalous and incurred with huge kickbacks and payoffs, then it is legitimate to ask whether the people should bear the burden of paying for a debt that did not benefit them.

INDISCRIMINATE debt servicing is the blanket payback of all debts, anomalous or not. I do not think indiscriminate debt servicing is right. Loans that were not used for the people should not be paid back by the people. It's not their debt to begin with. Those crooks who benefited from the loans should pay them back. If they cannot be made to pay the debt, then they should at least be jailed.

[gaidinX]

i still strongly disagree w/ the vat.

both income tax and sales tax are already too high in this country.

yet, you don't see much improvement sa mga infrastructure, PUBLIC SERVICE, etc.

most of tax collected from us goes to the pocket of fat politicians.