By LEANDER C. DOMINGO
BAMBANG, Nueva Vizcaya (August 15)—A bill has been filed in Congress seeking to exempt from taxation all medical and non-medical frontliners as relief for putting themselves at risk of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) infection.
Its author, Nueva Vizcaya Rep. Luisa Lloren Cuaresma (Lone District), said once approved, House Bill 7351, which shall be known as “Handog sa mga Bayaning Lumalaban Kontra Covid-19 Act,” will exempt health care workers and various frontliners from paying taxes for the taxable year 2020.
“There has been a considerable number of doctors and health workers who have succumbed to this dreadful disease and yet frontliners continue to provide the health care services the people need during this pandemic,” Cuaresma noted.
She said from Day 1 when Covid-19 threatened the lives of every Filipino, medical and non-medical frontliners bravely faced and fought the hazard of infections to prevent the spread of the virus and did not hesitate to leave their own families and risk their own lives to protect other people.
“By way of recognition of the invaluable contribution of our frontliners who put themselves in harm’s way every day to attend to the needs of the Covid-19 patients, I have introduced this bill seeking to exempt the frontliners from income tax for this year,” Cuaresma added.
She, however, explained that the exemption to be granted would only cover the salary or compensation as well as gross receipts from the exercise of profession or employment received by a frontliner.
“But subject to the pertinent regulations of the Bureau of Internal Revenue, they are still required to file their percentage tax return, value-added tax return and quarterly income tax return to their respective revenue district offices,” Cuaresma said.
She added that the exemption would be extended only to those who are engaged in health-related services directly serving, treating, caring, aiding and assisting Covid-9 patients, including those working and employed in hospitals, clinics or other medical institutions, both public and private, that test, accept and treat coronavirus patients.
Also included in the exemption are administrative employees, support personnel and staff of health institutions regardless of their employment status, Cuaresma said.