|
THE
government is willing to wait until next year before
putting in place a tax measure that seeks an additional
P0.10 for every liter of oil transported by the
country’s tanker operators.
Undersecretary Maria Elena Bautista, of the Department
of Transportation and Communications, said they would
hold a workshop next month on how to implement Republic
Act (RA) 9483, also known as the Oil Pollution
Management Act of 2007, after they have secured the
go-signal from the Department of Justice on its
legality.
Through
the workshop, the government will try to hammer out the
implementing rules and regulations of the law. “But it’s
not that urgent. We don’t want to add to the burden of
[the] people because once we impose that, that’s 10
[centavos per liter],” she said.
The
government is also taking into consideration how
crude-oil prices would move in the world market, she
added.
RA 9483
seeks to implement a 10-centavo levy on freight rates.
The money will eventually form part of the oil-pollution
fund.
The
eventual levy fund is on top of the Civil Liability
Convention and the International Oil Pollution
Convention. The conventions provide coverage of $1
billion each.
RA 9483
was passed as a result of the MT Solar I incident that
spilled more than 200,000 liters of black oil and
destroyed the marine life of the coastal town of
Guimaras.
Tanker
operators, led by the Philippine Petroleum Sea Transport
Association and Tanker Operators of the Philippines,
earlier said putting in place the new law might either
kill the industry or unnecessarily raise prices of oil
products, as the tax would likely be passed on to
consumers.
During
the first year of implementation, the seed money is
estimated to reach P1.5 billion. That amount could
warrant an end in the collection of the levy, Bautista
earlier explained.
Bautista
said that based on experience, it takes weeks, or even
months, before money from the International Oil
Pollution Fund arrives in response to an accident.
According to the tanker operators, even with the limited
period of collection, it will immediately kill the
industry as the 10-centavo levy already comprised about
20 percent to 60 percent of the gross revenues of the
oil haulers.
According to estimates by the tanker operators’ groups,
their members may close down two months after the
implementation of the levy.
Bautista
said the levy will be implemented as mandated by law.
The question now, she added, is how the money would be
used and maintained at a certain level. |
