Ways The Philippine Govt Can Generate Income

[Mr Lee]

I was wondering if any of the members had any good ideas of ways for the Philippine government to raise additional revenue without raising taxes which would not doubt hurt the poor. I thought up one idea and I thought I would post it in case anyone is listening or reading these forums. Most Filipinos have a hard time getting a valid photo id of any type, and in Florida where we live part time that is solved by the drivers license bureau issuing State id's which they charge a fee for. I am not sure how the drivers license is set up here but I am sure all it would take is something which changes the drivers license title to an id title, which is how it is done in Florida and they both look exactly the same with the only difference being the title.Next they could even take it one step more and issue them to those of us who are here on BB stamps in our passports at the BI by charging us for a card similar to the acr-I card but stating BB for people who wish to have such a card to carry on us and have it list contact information on it in case of emergency,

[Jollygoodfellow]

I was wondering if any of the members had any good ideas of ways for the Philippine government to raise additional revenue without raising taxes which would not doubt hurt the poor. I thought up one idea and I thought I would post it in case anyone is listening or reading these forums. Most Filipinos have a hard time getting a valid photo id of any type, and in Florida where we live part time that is solved by the drivers license bureau issuing State id's which they charge a fee for. I am not sure how the drivers license is set up here but I am sure all it would take is something which changes the drivers license title to an id title, which is how it is done in Florida and they both look exactly the same with the only difference being the title.Next they could even take it one step more and issue them to those of us who are here on BB stamps in our passports at the BI by charging us for a card similar to the acr-I card but stating BB for people who wish to have such a card to carry on us and have it list contact information on it in case of emergency, but such a card should be optional and they could charge a reasonable fee for that too. There are many ways to make money here that the government is not using and would make sense to institute. Anyone else have some ideas.

I am thinking that there would be huge amount of Filipinos that don't have a drivers license so maybe that idea is only good for a some of the population.

[Mr Lee]

I was wondering if any of the members had any good ideas of ways for the Philippine government to raise additional revenue without raising taxes which would not doubt hurt the poor. I thought up one idea and I thought I would post it in case anyone is listening or reading these forums. Most Filipinos have a hard time getting a valid photo id of any type, and in Florida where we live part time that is solved by the drivers license bureau issuing State id's which they charge a fee for. I am not sure how the drivers license is set up here but I am sure all it would take is something which changes the drivers license title to an id title, which is how it is done in Florida and they both look exactly the same with the only difference being the title.Next they could even take it one step more and issue them to those of us who are here on BB stamps in our passports at the BI by charging us for a card similar to the acr-I card but stating BB for people who wish to have such a card to carry on us and have it list contact information on it in case of emergency, but such a card should be optional and they could charge a reasonable fee for that too. There are many ways to make money here that the government is not using and would make sense to institute. Anyone else have some ideas.

I am thinking that there would be huge amount of Filipinos that don't have a drivers license so maybe that idea is only good for a some of the population.

Exactly, those who do not wish to drive but wish to have a photo id, which it seems impossible for them to get now unless they have a job. The Philippines lacks in available id's for individuals who need them for say, picking up money which was sent to them by a friend or family member at a pawn shop or a bank etc.

[TheMason]

They could jack up the tourist and residency visa fees. :thumbsup: They could also start charging fees for the BB stamp as well. I doubt imposing a small fee for the BB stamp would really discourage any BBs from returning home and spending their money. They could also institute a surcharge on all hotel reservations, flights, and other forms of transportation that are used by someone on a non-Philippines passport. Many cities and states have taken this route in the US. Taxing the tourist is a sure way to raise revenue.I can't speak for Florida, but in every other state I've lived in the Motor Vehicle department was not a revenue generating endeavor...its was a money loser that was paid for out of the general fund and cost more than the revenue it generated. Instituting an affordable, easy to get ID card is a very good idea, but I think that would cost the govt. money, not make them money.With all the poverty in the Philippines, the only real option is to tax foreigners or OFWs. Taxing the every day, average Filipino is not going to get them very much because there just isn't the money available for them to pay taxes with. Of course, the best way to increase revenue would be to spend the existing revenue wisely. If people saw their taxes going to good use, I think far fewer people would avoid paying the taxes that already exist.

[Mr Lee]

They could jack up the tourist and residency visa fees. :thumbsup: They could also start charging fees for the BB stamp as well. I doubt imposing a small fee for the BB stamp would really discourage any BBs from returning home and spending their money. They could also institute a surcharge on all hotel reservations, flights, and other forms of transportation that are used by someone on a non-Philippines passport. Many cities and states have taken this route in the US. Taxing the tourist is a sure way to raise revenue.I can't speak for Florida, but in every other state I've lived in the Motor Vehicle department was not a revenue generating endeavor...its was a money loser that was paid for out of the general fund and cost more than the revenue it generated. Instituting an affordable, easy to get ID card is a very good idea, but I think that would cost the govt. money, not make them money.With all the poverty in the Philippines, the only real option is to tax foreigners or OFWs. Taxing the every day, average Filipino is not going to get them very much because there just isn't the money available for them to pay taxes with. Of course, the best way to increase revenue would be to spend the existing revenue wisely. If people saw their taxes going to good use, I think far fewer people would avoid paying the taxes that already exist.

I am sure this statement might make me unpopular with others who are here on a BB stamp, but I would not object to them issuing ACR-I cards to people on BB stamps and charging us a similar one time fee and making the cards valid for at least one year and possibly longer, and my reason would be that the government needs to know who is here and who is here illegally, and I would not mind having a Philippine form of ID that I could carry. I would just hope that the BB stamp and card would still be valid for a period of at least one year and it would be nice if they could make it valid for longer, say 2 years at a time and make it renewable for the same fee without having to leave the country. I believe if they made the BB renewable without leaving the country then a lot of people would not mind paying a fee as long as the fee was reasonable.

[Jollygoodfellow]

I was wondering if any of the members had any good ideas of ways for the Philippine government to raise additional revenue without raising taxes which would not doubt hurt the poor. I thought up one idea and I thought I would post it in case anyone is listening or reading these forums. Most Filipinos have a hard time getting a valid photo id of any type, and in Florida where we live part time that is solved by the drivers license bureau issuing State id's which they charge a fee for. I am not sure how the drivers license is set up here but I am sure all it would take is something which changes the drivers license title to an id title, which is how it is done in Florida and they both look exactly the same with the only difference being the title.Next they could even take it one step more and issue them to those of us who are here on BB stamps in our passports at the BI by charging us for a card similar to the acr-I card but stating BB for people who wish to have such a card to carry on us and have it list contact information on it in case of emergency, but such a card should be optional and they could charge a reasonable fee for that too. There are many ways to make money here that the government is not using and would make sense to institute. Anyone else have some ideas.

I am thinking that there would be huge amount of Filipinos that don't have a drivers license so maybe that idea is only good for a some of the population.

Exactly, those who do not wish to drive but wish to have a photo id, which it seems impossible for them to get now unless they have a job. The Philippines lacks in available id's for individuals who need them for say, picking up money which was sent to them by a friend or family member at a pawn shop or a bank etc.

I don't quite get what your reply is here,I'm thinking if you don't have a drivers license then you could not get an id from the Transport Department or what ever their called in the Philippines?

[Mr Lee]

I was wondering if any of the members had any good ideas of ways for the Philippine government to raise additional revenue without raising taxes which would not doubt hurt the poor. I thought up one idea and I thought I would post it in case anyone is listening or reading these forums. Most Filipinos have a hard time getting a valid photo id of any type, and in Florida where we live part time that is solved by the drivers license bureau issuing State id's which they charge a fee for. I am not sure how the drivers license is set up here but I am sure all it would take is something which changes the drivers license title to an id title, which is how it is done in Florida and they both look exactly the same with the only difference being the title.Next they could even take it one step more and issue them to those of us who are here on BB stamps in our passports at the BI by charging us for a card similar to the acr-I card but stating BB for people who wish to have such a card to carry on us and have it list contact information on it in case of emergency, but such a card should be optional and they could charge a reasonable fee for that too. There are many ways to make money here that the government is not using and would make sense to institute. Anyone else have some ideas.

I am thinking that there would be huge amount of Filipinos that don't have a drivers license so maybe that idea is only good for a some of the population.

Exactly, those who do not wish to drive but wish to have a photo id, which it seems impossible for them to get now unless they have a job. The Philippines lacks in available id's for individuals who need them for say, picking up money which was sent to them by a friend or family member at a pawn shop or a bank etc.

I don't quite get what your reply is here,I'm thinking if you don't have a drivers license then you could not get an id from the Transport Department or what ever their called in the Philippines?

If you have a drivers license, then you do not need an id because you would have the DL for id, but if you do not drive, then an id would be a good thing to have. That is how it works in Florida and some other states, and they charge a fee for the id which is about what the drivers license cost. I believe there would be quite a few people who do not drive, but who would like to have id's to be used for identification purposes.

[retired]

I was wondering if any of the members had any good ideas of ways for the Philippine government to raise additional revenue without raising taxes which would not doubt hurt the poor. I thought up one idea and I thought I would post it in case anyone is listening or reading these forums. Most Filipinos have a hard time getting a valid photo id of any type, and in Florida where we live part time that is solved by the drivers license bureau issuing State id's which they charge a fee for. I am not sure how the drivers license is set up here but I am sure all it would take is something which changes the drivers license title to an id title, which is how it is done in Florida and they both look exactly the same with the only difference being the title.Next they could even take it one step more and issue them to those of us who are here on BB stamps in our passports at the BI by charging us for a card similar to the acr-I card but stating BB for people who wish to have such a card to carry on us and have it list contact information on it in case of emergency, but such a card should be optional and they could charge a reasonable fee for that too. There are many ways to make money here that the government is not using and would make sense to institute. Anyone else have some ideas.

I am thinking that there would be huge amount of Filipinos that don't have a drivers license so maybe that idea is only good for a some of the population.

Exactly, those who do not wish to drive but wish to have a photo id, which it seems impossible for them to get now unless they have a job. The Philippines lacks in available id's for individuals who need them for say, picking up money which was sent to them by a friend or family member at a pawn shop or a bank etc.

I don't quite get what your reply is here,I'm thinking if you don't have a drivers license then you could not get an id from the Transport Department or what ever their called in the Philippines?

If you have a drivers license, then you do not need an id because you would have the DL for id, but if you do not drive, then an id would be a good thing to have. That is how it works in Florida and some other states, and they charge a fee for the id which is about what the drivers license cost. I believe there would be quite a few people who do not drive, but who would like to have id's to be used for identification purposes.

It's my understanding that you can go to the post office and get an id card and something similar from the BIR but don't know the details .