MANILA — President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has expressed support for the proposed abolition of the travel tax, saying it could ease the financial burden on Filipino travelers.

In a Palace press briefing on Tuesday, Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said the travel tax abolition is among the 21 priority bills presented during the 3rd Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) meeting held at Malacañan Palace.

“Nakita po ng Pangulo na mas makakagaan po ito sa ating mga turista at sa ating mga kababayan na nagbibiyahe,” Castro said.

Castro added that President Marcos supported abolishing the travel tax because many Filipinos travel not only for leisure but also for work and emergency situations, making the tax an unnecessary burden.

She assured the public that if the travel tax abolition or reduction bill is passed in Congress, funding for tourism, education, and heritage programs would not be affected, as allocations would be covered through the General Appropriations Act (GAA).

Travel tax collected from departing Filipino travelers is currently distributed among three sectors: 50 percent to the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA), 40 percent to the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and 10 percent to the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA).

Asked about calls for TIEZA to release a full report on travel tax collections, Castro said the agency’s finances are already subject to regular review by the Commission on Audit (COA).

House Majority Leader and Ilocos Norte 1st District Rep. Sandro Marcos has been pushing for the passage of House Bill No. 7443, arguing that the travel tax has outlived its original purpose and now only adds to the financial strain on travelers.

If enacted, the measure would repeal the travel tax imposed under Presidential Decree No. 1183 and related provisions of the Tourism Act of 2009, stopping the collection of fixed charges of PhP2,700 for first-class passengers and PhP1,620 for economy-class travelers.