A bill filed in the House of Representatives seeks to abolish the travel tax, citing its growing burden on Filipino travelers and its impact on mobility, tourism, and economic activity.

House Majority Leader Rep. Ferdinand Alexander “Sandro” Marcos has filed House Bill No. 7443, or the proposed Travel Tax Abolition Act of 2026, which seeks to repeal the travel tax imposed under Presidential Decree No. 1183, as amended, and Section 73 of Republic Act No. 9593, or the Tourism Act of 2009. 

If enacted, the measure would end the collection of travel tax currently set at ₱2,700 for first-class passengers and ₱1,620 for economy-class travelers.

“The travel tax was created in a very different economic context. Today, it has become an added cost that restricts mobility and weighs heavily on ordinary Filipinos,” Marcos said in a statement.

The bill prohibits any government agency or private entity from collecting the levy upon the law’s effectivity and mandates the immediate refund of travel taxes already paid by passengers with flights scheduled on or after that date.

Marcos said the levy disproportionately affects low- and middle-income families, particularly those traveling as households, where the cumulative cost can divert funds from basic needs or local spending.

He also noted that the Philippines has become an outlier in Southeast Asia, as several member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have already scrapped similar travel-related levies to boost tourism, trade, and people-to-people exchanges.

Under the proposal, agencies currently funded by travel tax proceeds—including the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority, the Commission on Higher Education, and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts—would continue to receive support through direct appropriations under the annual General Appropriations Act.

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