VAT

I am asked by a lot of people what I think of the Value Added Tax and I tell them that I think the VAT is a clear illustration of how our country deals with its problems. It takes the easy way out and simply taxes everyone even if we all know that the most affected are the families of the overseas Filipinos who produce the bulk of real production in our country today. The government refuses to admit that it is mortally afraid of these powerful banking institutions from whom it depends for loans to pay all those loans, some of which were transacted under immoral circumstances (like paying billions of dollars for a nuclear plant that was never used and which was the result of complicity between corrupt government officials and businessmen). The government is not addressing the root cause of corruption in the form of tax leaks and tax breaks that favor the wealthy and powerful but how can our leaders implement a corruption- free policy when they don't have any credibility? They freely make promises they don't keep and whenever they are caught doing dishonest deeds, they muddle the issue and stymie, by all the various means they have at their disposal, the pursuit of truth.