Revised TRAIN up to Congress: Duterte

• President Duterte is leaving it up to Congress to decide whether to amend the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law, which some sectors blame for the rising prices of basic goods.
• Duterte said in a press conference on 3 Jun 18 that he could not tell Congress what to do with the TRAIN law, noting that the measure was enacted by the legislature.
• “If I tell them we need it for the Build, Build, Build and (they say otherwise), I can’t do anything. If they say ‘well, we’ll just have to bite the bullet and go on, I also cannot do anything if that’s their decision,” he added.
• The Department of Finance pushed for the measure to fund key government projects, including the PHP8.4tr Build, Build, Build infrastructure program.
• Duterte maintained that the Philippines is experiencing difficulties because of rising oil prices and insufficient oil sources, not because it is “doing bad in business.”

External Link: https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2018/06/04/1821446/revised-train-congress-duterte