House approves bill abolishing travel tax

THE House of Representatives on Monday night approved on third and final reading a priority bill that would abolish the travel tax, removing charges long imposed on outbound Filipino travelers.

- WENDELL VIGILIA

Lawmakers voted 257-1, with one abstention, in favor of House Bill No. 8464, or the Travel Tax Abolition Act of 2026, a measure endorsed by the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council and authored by House Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander “Sandro” Marcos.

“The travel tax belongs to a different era, when flying was mostly seen as a privilege for an opulent few. Today, many Filipinos travel because they have to, for business, for family, for school, or to seize livelihood opportunities, and government should not keep treating that necessity as if it were still a luxury,” Marcos said.

The bill provides that once enacted, no travel tax may be collected by any government agency or private entity, a blanket prohibition meant to ensure that the abolition is not weakened in implementation.