Philippine government not to impose new tax in 2014

The Philippine government assured the public Thursday that it would not push for new tax measures that would burden the citizens in the year of 2014. The administration of Philippine President Benigno S. Aquino III, on the other hand, would just continue with its intensified efforts to collect taxes to fund the government projects and programs, said Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. in a news briefing in Malacanang, the presidential palace. "That's the promise of our president (not to impose additional tax) since the start of his administration. If we were to look on the record of the administration, there was only change in relation to sin tax reforms," he said. Coloma said that from 2010 since Aquino assumed office up to present, the government's budgets for social and education sectors have gone up by several multiples without need for raising new taxes. The controversial sin tax on cigarettes and alcohol was introduced in the Philippines on Jan. 1, 2013 as part of a government bid to boost finance. Tax on cigarettes and alcohol will gradually be raised by 2017 in the country.