Expensive food, fuel push Philippines inflation to 42-month high of 5.4 percent Asia News Network (ANN) is the leading regional alliance of news titles striving to bring the region closer, through an active sharing of editorial content on happenings in the region.
(PNA photo by Avito Dalan) MANILA - Higher levy on sin products such as alcohol, tobacco, and e-cigarettes as well as sugar-sweetened beverages has helped the government to deliver health and social services amid the global health and economic crisis. In a statement Friday, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said sin taxes raised revenues to fund the Universal Health Care program and give Filipinos access to more comprehensive health care services. "Our efforts to reform sin taxes can be traced back to the previous administration. Through Republic Act No. 10351 or the Sin Tax Reform Law of 2012, we restructured the excise tax on tobacco and alcohol products," Socioeconomic Planning Secretary and NEDA Director General Karl Kendrick Chua said. Chua said the Duterte administration has pursued higher taxes on tobacco products and sweetened beverages under the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Law, the first package of the Comprehensive Tax Refo
A number of environmentalists have spoken out about property developers in New South Wales opposing the proposed Design and Place State Environmental Planning Policy, which would see all new commercial developments across the state be net zero carbon emissions.