Malacañang on Tuesday said the government has not yet discussed a fuel subsidy for private motorists amid another fuel price hike.
Local fuel retailers implemented increases of up to P2.31 per liter in petroleum products on August 25. Gasoline and kerosene prices also rose by up to P1.08 and 95 centavos per liter, respectively.
‘Sa ngayon po ay hindi pa napag-uusapan iyong sinasabi ninyong fuel subsidy para sa mga pribado na motorista. Hindi po pa siya napag-uusapan sa ngayon,’ said Palace Press Officer Claire Castro at a briefing when asked whether the government will consider fuel subsidy for private motorists.
(For now, the fuel subsidy you’re referring to for private motorists has not yet been discussed. It has not been discussed at this time.)
Passenger jeepney and UV Express drivers currently receive a P12-per-liter fuel subsidy, which began on August 15 and will continue indefinitely amid the impact of rising fuel costs linked to the conflict in the Middle East.
To ease burden of the middle class, Castro said studies are still ongoing on the proposed increase in the income tax exemption threshold to P350,000 annually from the current P250,000. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. floated the proposal during his fifth State of the Nation Address.
Marcos also proposed exempting micro and small enterprises from the minimum corporate income tax