煙草在線據菲律賓信息機構報道編譯　　該國最大的煙草農民組織的一名領袖表達了他對在參議院的全體會議上，通過參議員富蘭克林·德里隆版本煙酒產品罪惡稅的良好評論，提出衛生保健福利將來自該法案。

　　煙草種植者協會合作合并(NFTGACI)的全國聯合會主席表示埃內斯托·卡林達斯說，該提議增加煙酒產品的罪惡稅，最終將使煙草農民和他們的家庭受益，因為從這種稅收措施中征集到的大多數稅收，將用于衛生保健保險和升級政府醫院。

　　15名參議員，包括參議院議長居安·龐斯·恩里萊在內，投票支持通過參議員德里隆的3299號參議院法案，尋求重新調整煙酒產品的消費稅，增加400億到500億比索的稅收。

　　由于今年的煙草種植季節即將開始，卡林達斯建議他的煙農生產高質量的煙草來滿足生產高質量卷煙的卷煙制造商的需求。

　　對他而言，伊羅戈斯州長Luis Chavit Singson，即《共和國7171號煙草消費稅法》的作者，保證增加罪惡稅不會對弗吉尼亞煙農產生不利影響。

　　他說，任何增加卷煙產品的稅收，也將增加弗吉尼亞煙草生產省份從《共和國7171煙草消費稅法》中獲得的資金份額。

　　根據德里隆的罪惡稅版本，當前年度根據《共和國7171煙草消費稅法》獲得40億比索的資金，將會變成每年的100億比索。

　　從罪惡稅中征收的大多數稅收將用于政府的全民醫保計劃。

Phillipines: Farmer Leader Favors Passage of Propose Sin Tax Hike

　　A leader of one of the country's biggest tobacco farmers' organizations expressed his favorable comment on the passage of Senator Franklin Drilon's version on sin tax increase on cigarette products and alcohol in the Senate's plenary citing the health care benefits that will be derived from it.

　　Ernesto Calindas, president of the National Federation of the Tobacco Growers Associations' Cooperative Incorporated (NFTGACI), said the proposed increase of sin tax on cigarette and alcohol will eventually benefit tobacco farmers and their families because majority of the collected amount from the tax measure will go for health care insurance and upgrading of government hospitals.

　　Fifteen senators including Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile voted for the passage of Senator Drilon's Senate Bill 3299 seeking for the restructuring on the excise tax on alcohol and tobacco products by increasing P40 billion to P45 billion.

　　As tobacco planting season this year is now about to start, Calindas advised his fellow tobacco farmers to produce high quality tobacco to meet the demand of the cigarette manufacturers for the production of high quality cigarettes.

　　For his part, Ilocos Governor Luis Chavit Singson, the author of RA 7171 tobacco excise tax law, assured that the increase of sin tax will not adversely affect the Virginia tobacco farmers.

　　He said that any increase on taxes of cigarette products will also increase the share of Virginia tobacco-producing provinces from the RA 7171 tobacco excise tax fund.

　　Under Drilon's sin tax hike version, the P4 billion current annual RA7171 tobacco excise tax fund will become P10 billion per year.

　　Majority of the collected amount from the sin tax increase will go to the universal health care programs of government. Enditem