THE House of Representatives on Tuesday, Nov. 8, approved on second reading a measure seeking to impose excise taxes on single-use plastic bags.
House Bill 4102, also known as the Single-Use Plastic Bags Tax Act, intends to impose a P100 per kilo excise tax on single use-plastic bags.
The amended bill states that the tax rate imposed shall be increased by 4 percent every year effective Jan. 1, 2026 through revenue regulations issued by the Secretary of Finance.
It also states that the incremental tax revenues from the imposition of the excise tax shall be allocated to the programs of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources for the implementation of Republic Act No. 9003, otherwise known as the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 in municipalities.
The proposed measure aims to encourage the use of alternatives to plastic bags.
The House will vote on the bill’s final approval in three days.
Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno has also been pushing for the tax on single-use plastic to generate additional funds for the government. (ABS-CBN News)
