Pres. Marcos okays tax refund for foreign tourists

by JEROME ANING Inquirer.net

MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has approved the implementation of the Value-Added Tax (VAT) Refund Program for foreign tourists by 2024 in an effort to boost tourist arrivals in the country, Malacañang said on Sunday, January 29. The program is among the “Quick Wins” recommendations presented by the tourism cluster of the Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC) in a meeting with Mr. Marcos last Thursday, January 26.

PSAC is composed of business leaders and industry experts providing technical advice to the President on the government’s economic objectives in six key sectors — agriculture, digital infrastructure, health care, infrastructure, jobs generation, and tourism.

According to the Palace, the president will soon issue an executive order on the tax refund, which other countries are also implementing as an enticement to tourists.

This would allow foreign tourists to get a refund on the VAT they have paid for their purchases here which they would bring back to their home countries.

The Bureau of Internal commitment to bolstering their countries’ alliance. Austin and Galvez did not say where the new locations would be.

But it has been widely reported that most of the new locations will be on the main island of Luzon – the closest Philippine landmass to Taiwan – where the U.S. already has access to two bases.

The fourth will reportedly be on Palawan, facing the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, taking the number of sites there to two.

Before his courtesy call on Marcos, Austin met with  PAGE 2

MANILA — The actions of the United States heighten regional tension in the South China Sea, the Chinese Embassy said on Thursday, February 2.

The embassy issued the remark amid the visit of US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in Manila.

“China always holds that defense and security cooperation between countries should be conducive to regional peace and stability, not target against any third party, even less to harm the interests of a third party,” the embassy said in a statement.

“The United States, out of its self interests and zerosum game mentality, continues to step up military posture in this region. Its actions escalate regional tension and undermine regional peace and stability,” it added.

Austin, the embassy said, “smeared China on the issue of South China Sea to advance the anti-China political