MANILA, Philippines — Purchase and importation of books will remain tax-exempt under the second tax reform package of the Duterte administration, the Department of Finance said Tuesday. Early this month, the House of Representatives approved on third and final reading House Bill 8083 known as the “Tax Reform For Attracting Better and High-Quality Opportunities” or TRABAHO bill. “First, under the tax code, the exemption of the purchase of books, we did not touch that. If you buy a book from a bookstore, it will still be VAT-exempt,” Chua said. In the same statement, Chua said the Duterte administration “also did not touch” the Philippines’ commitment to the Florence Agreement.

Source: Philippine Star September 25, 2018 10:07 UTC