Leyte: Leyte 1st District Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez is advocating for a legislative measure that mandates business establishments to apply the 20-percent discount and exemption from the 12-percent value-added tax (VAT) enjoyed by senior citizens and persons with disabilities (PWDs) on top of any existing promotional offers or discounts.

According to Philippines News Agency, Romualdez introduced House Bill No. 16, titled ‘An Act Enhancing the Discount on the Purchase of Goods and Services of Senior Citizens and Persons with Disabilities’, with the aim of maintaining the preferential treatment provided to these groups. The bill seeks to ensure that the current benefits under Section 4 of Republic Act (RA) 7432 (Senior Citizens Act), as amended, and Section 32 of RA No. 7277 (Magna Carta for Disabled Persons), as amended, are preserved.

The proposed legislation specifies that discounts for senior citizens and PWDs shall be additional to any existing promotional offers by businesses, without requiring the presentation of booklets for goods procurement. House Bill No. 16 clarifies that any promotions or discounts offered to the general public should not be deemed as fulfilling the requirements of the aforementioned acts.

Romualdez emphasized that the measure aims to resolve frequent disputes between businesses and the beneficiaries regarding the correct interpretation of the law. To balance interests, the bill proposes that the input tax related to VAT-exempt sales to seniors and PWDs, along with special discounts on essential goods, be considered as deductible expenses in accordance with Section 34 of the National Internal Revenue Code of 1997, as amended.

He stated that the initiative aligns with the State policy of fostering a fair and dynamic social order to ensure national prosperity and eradicate poverty. The bill is co-authored by Tingog Party-list Representatives Andrew Julian Romualdez and Jude Acidre.