House panel OKs seniors’ income tax exemption bill

by Delon Porcalla – The Philippine Star, 22 Sep 2021

MANILA, Philippines — A committee of the House of Representatives approved yesterday a measure that will exempt working senior citizens from income tax payments being deducted by the Bureau of Internal Revenue from their monthly salaries.

The House committee on senior citizens, led by Rep. Rodolfo Ordanes of the party-list group Senior Citizens, approved House Bill (HB) 8832, the “Income Tax Exemption for Senior Citizens Act,” which would amend the National Internal Revenue Code of 1997.

The bill provides that individuals who are still employed at the age of 60 and above shall be exempt from paying income tax.

Ordanes, who authored the bill, said that based on data submitted by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, Filipino retirees have only about 3.6 months’ worth of income for their retirement.

HB 8832 also provides that holiday pay, overtime pay, night shift differential and hazard pay received by the elderly who are still working in companies should likewise be exempt from income tax.