Purisima, solons deny deal with liquor firms on sin tax bill | Economy ...

Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima and members of the House of Representatives on Thursday denied having deals with liquor companies to lower the revenue that will be generated by government from an overhauled sin tax bill.
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His goal as finance chief is to raise as much government revenue as possible, Purisima said.
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?Klarong klaro po na ang gusto talaga ng Department of Finance ay ?yung mas mataas na amount. Kaya lang sa ating proseso, ang nag-de-determine po kung ano ang ma-a-approve ay yung legislators,? the Cabinet official said in an interview over GMA News TV?s ?News To Go.?
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He brushed aside Senator Ralph Recto?s claim of a ?Purisima-San Miguel? alliance. The senator was referring to San Miguel Corp., maker of San Miguel Beer.
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?Nakakatawa po lahat ng name calling na iyan. Sabi ko nga, unproductive po iyan? Kailangan po na mag-debate tayo. Kailangan po na linawin po ang ating mga points but there is still no need for name-calling,? Purisima said.

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Last Monday, Recto resigned the Senate ways and means committee chairmanship after being criticized and accused of conflict of interest for endorsing a sin tax measure that would yield at least P15 billion or a fourth of the P60 billion proposed by the Finance Department.?
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No secret meetings
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In a newspaper report, the senator also accused officials of ?giving in? to pressure from liquor companies, since the House version passed last June recommended P33 billion in additional revenues.
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Davao City Rep. Isidro Ungab, House ways and means panel chairperson, belied Recto?s claim, saying the sin tax bill was transparently deliberated upon at the lower chamber.
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?All committee hearings were done in public and members of the ways and means committee as well as stakeholders were present during the deliberations.
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?No secret meetings were allowed and the bill was thoroughly debated both in the committee and in the plenary,? the congressman said in a separate text message.
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Recto might be using the lower chamber?s version of the measure as a ?subterfuge? to divert criticisms the senator has been receiving, said Bohol Rep. Erico Aumentado, an author of the sin tax bill at the House.
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?Let Senator Recto prove his allegation. His charge is nothing new? As one of the sin taxes? co-authors, I can say with candor that there was no such capitulation by the House,? he added. ? VS, GMA News

Source: http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/278812/economy/finance/purisima-solons-deny-deal-with-liquor-firms-on-sin-tax-bill

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