MANILA, Philippines - Dozens of rank-and-file employees of the Sandiganbayan walked out of their offices and joined a 30-minute protest action yesterday denouncing the new taxes being imposed on their financial benefits and allowances by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).
Mostly wearing black shirts, personnel of the anti-graft court held a brief program holding a big streamer printed with “No To Tax Increase, Yes To Wage Increase!”
“The benefits that we received is supposed to support our family’s everyday needs as our meager compensation income is not even enough to sustain our basic needs up to the next monthly payday,” Sandiganbayan Employees Association (SEA) president Rodolfo Cadelina said.
“With the fast rising prices of basic commodities, prices of oil, gasoline, electricity and water bills, we really need these benefits for us to live,” added Judiciary Employees Association vice president Maurino Aguilar in a statement.
SEA expressed gratitude to the Sandiganbayan management when they were granted Economic Development Assistance (EDA) benefits but were “shocked and surprised” when they were charged a substantial amount in taxes.
The deductions were allegedly made based on a Supreme Court memorandum order dated June 18, 2014 that was issued in compliance with BIR instructions.
Based on the high court’s directive, SEA said an employee who is supposed to receive benefits of P10,000 will only take home P6,800.
Employees said this should not be the case since EDA forms part of fringe benefits granted to Sandiganbayan personnel, which means that it is not compensation but an incentive to officials and employees in developing their personal skills, talents and values for an efficient and productive delivery of services to the general public.
SEA, announcing that a petition will be filed before the Supreme Court questioning the tax impositions of the BIR, demanded that the oppressive deductions already made on their benefits be returned to them and that a salary increase be actually implemented.