Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 10) — A bill that will impose taxes on single-use plastic has been approved by a House of Representatives panel on Tuesday.
House Committee on Ways and Means chairman and Albay Rep. Joey Salceda said the body gave its green light for a measure that will slap a tax of ₱20 per kilogram of single-use plastic, in a bid to reduce waste.
Salceda said this translates to about seven centavos per piece of “sando” plastic bag, which is commonly used in wet markets.
Once implemented, Salceda added that the measure will raise ₱4.8 billion yearly.
The proposed tax stemmed from the bill filed by Sultan Kudarat 2nd district Rep. Horacio Suansing, Jr. and Nueva Ecija 2nd district Rep. Estrellita Suansing that initially wanted to charge ₱10 per piece of plastic bag produced in factories or released from import warehouses.
“Aside from the short- and long-term consequences of plastic use on the environment and the health of humans and animals alike, the mass consumption of plastics in the Philippine further magnifies the flooding problem that Filipinos experience, especially during the typhoon season,” House Bill 178 read.
Salceda added that the committee is also looking to tax other plastic items like sachet packaging, which supposedly accounts for two-thirds of trash.
“We deferred that due to possible food inflation and prices of basic commodities e.g. shampoo, toothpaste. However, if poverty goes single-digit, we will include it possibly in three to four years,” Salceda told reporters.
Places like Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Cambodia have imposed taxes on plastic bags.
The bill still needs to go through two more readings in the House and be approved by Senate before it can be endorsed to Malacañang for signing into law.
CNN Philippines Correspondent Xianne Arcangel contributed to this report.
