taxing the ofw?s

I chanced upon an article by Doris Dumlao published last Wednesday (11th April) in Inquirer entitled “Study proposes taxing OFW income”. I was already up in arms just seeing the title and I was even furious after reading through the whole article. What an insensitive way to pay tribute to your “new breed of heroes”!

Taxing the OFW’s? Come on guys! How many times has this government admitted that it is the OFW’s remittances that keep the Philippine economy from nosediving? Over the years, how many times have we sent the heaviest chunk of dollars floating around every day, all year round, propping up the weak and dying peso? How many times have these government officials sang praises to us, thanking us for bringing home the green bucks no matter how far and how obscure the place we’ve been to just to find it?

We are your cashcows and yet you want to tax us? You are already milking us by benefitting from the positive impact of our remittances, and yet you still want us to bleed further? Have mercy you guys!

Impose exit tax? For what? As a punishment for nurses going to work abroad? Ergo punishing them for seeking ways of improving their economic and social status – something that they can not find locally? But did your study say what are the chances of this tax stopping a worker from leaving the country? Because in case you left that important detail out, I will tell you in a flash – NONE! Instead, your exit tax will only encourage further greed and corruption from the ever-enterprising officials.

Depressing domestic industries? Why blame it on us? Isn’t it something the government should do something about? Dutch Disease? Try acute ulcer and chronic poverty – it’s something more lethal!

I don’t know who these brilliant scholars are – Tullao, Cortez and See, right? I’d guess these are a bunch of yuppies who have never left the comforts of their airconditioned rooms in Dela Salle and have never experienced working hard, let alone in a foreign country, just to keep themeselves and their families from starvation. Well my dear intellectuals, try the deserts of Saudi Arabia and see, even after a few months, if you can still back that study of yours.

I suggest, with your creative, intelligent minds, why don’t you, instead, train your thoughts, focus your energy and devote your time to a more sensible study. I have quite a few options you can choose from:

1. How about conducting a study on how to remove the Philippines from the No. 1 spot of being the most corrupt government in Asia?

2. Or maybe, doing an analysis of where the billions of pesos being collected by POEA from the poor OFWs go?

3. Maybe you can solve the riddle and provide a more plausible answer to the question – why do OFW’s find repatriation and re-integration so difficult when in fact they have contributed so much to the coffers that is supposed to look after their welfare after they have ceased working abroad?

4. And oh yes, this maybe more fun. How about analyzing where does the OWWA fund go?

5. And how about conducting a study on how we can stop migration of workers to foreign countries and instead stay inland and contribute to the progress of our beloved Philippines? In that way, you are hitting the problem right on the core. No OFWs, no remittances to tax. Right?

See, you can do studies and have more fun.

In the meantime, I hope your study falls on deaf ears. Simply because if some senseless politician picks it up and starts sponsoring your ruthless idea, it will be the death of your milking cow! Heaven forbids but you should know by now what it means. With that imaginative minds of yours, I know you can see how grim the picture will be!