MANILA — The bill seeking to abolish the travel tax in the Philippines moved a step closer to approval on Monday after the House Committee on Ways and Means endorsed the unnumbered substitute measure for plenary debates.

Authored by House Majority Leader Sandro Marcos of Ilocos Norte and several other lawmakers, the bill proposes eliminating travel tax dues of P2,700 for first-class passengers and P1,620 for economy travelers.

The measure had previously been approved by the House Committee on Tourism and required the Ways and Means panel’s consent because it impacts government revenue. It will next be deliberated by the House Appropriations Committee before being sponsored for discussion in the House plenary.

Currently, travel tax collections fund programs under the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA), the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA).

Manila First District Rep. Ernix Dionesio filed the motion to approve the bill and proposed listing all lawmakers present as co-authors, which the panel unanimously approved.

House Ways and Means Committee Chair Miro Quimbo of Marikina City said abolishing the travel tax ensures that the country’s tax system does not burden ordinary Filipinos.

“Today, there are tens of millions of middle-class Filipinos whose voices, together with the poorest of the poor, are too often unheard in policy discussions,” he said.

“As chair of the Committee on Ways and Means, I must emphasize a basic principle that this committee shall continue to uphold: our tax system must remain progressive,” Quimbo added.

He also said the current system is regressive and unfairly takes funds from Filipinos struggling to make ends meet.

“Hindi natin maaaring payagan na maging regressive ang ating sistema ng pagbubuwis—na ang pondo para sa mahahalagang programa ng gobyerno ay nanggagaling sa bulsa ng mga ordinaryong Pilipino na nagsisikap lamang makaahon sa buhay,” he said.

Quimbo estimated that abolishing the travel tax could generate as much as P22 billion in additional economic activity. He noted that the Philippines remains the only country in Southeast Asia that still imposes a travel tax.