Marcos' SONA pitch: Tax breaks to raise middle class workers' take-home pay

· philstar

MANILA, Philippines — Making the first major legislative request of his State of the Nation Address, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. called on Congress to widen tax relief for the middle class.

Marcos proposed exempting workers earning up to P350,000 a year from income tax and cutting rates for those earning more.

Marcos also sought to exempt small businesses from the minimum corporate income tax and grant amnesty on unpaid income, estate, donor’s and value-added taxes, including penalties.

"Magbibigay ng bahagyang ginhawa para sa ating bayaring buwis," he said.

Earlier this year, Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian pushed for the proposed GINHAWA bill, which seeks to amend the National Internal Revenue Code by raising the income tax exemption threshold from P250,000 to P400,000 a year. — with Cristina Chi, Martin Ramos

P400,000 income tax exemption sought to raise take-home payA tax relief bill seeks to raise the tax-free income threshold to P400,000 a year as workers face rising prices.06 May 2026LIVE Coverage: Marcos' State of the Nation Address 2026President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will deliver his fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA) before a joint session of Congress at the Batasang Pambansa on Monday, July 27, at 4 p.m.PhilstarLIVE, 26 Jul 2026