The militant Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) warned Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo that a tax revolt may come if, the regime continue to push for the 8-pt tax measures. According to Danilo “Ka Daning” Ramos, secretary general of the group “we are already weighed down by numerous taxes and these new tax measures will only break our backs. It is tantamount to torture, these tax measures being imposed on the Filipino people,”

“The regime is being terribly unjust and unfair by burdening us with this new taxes. We have had enough of this oppression. While more than P400 billion is annually lost in cuts in import duties/tariffs, tax evasion, tax scams, leakages and foreign investor incentives, the government has the gall to pass it on to us. If only they do their jobs then they would not have a fiscal crisis in the first place,” added Ramos.

The group also stressed that the government has been setting misplaced priorities and spending on the wrong things. The bulk of our national budget goes to the payment of government debts about P542 this year and including behest loans stretching back to the Marcos dictatorship. While another 20-30% goes to systematic graft and corruption.

“As for Gen. Aglipay’s apprehension that violent street protest would erupt because of the crisis and that the police should be ready to disperse them is just a ploy to cow the people from airing their legitimate protests. Besides as history would attest protest actions only becomes violent when the police and the military gets involved. Normally, we provide the protests, the police and the military provide the violence,” said Carl Anthony Ala, public information officer of KMP.

“The people are only standing up for their rights and should not be threatened by violent dispersals. We are warning the government that the Filipino people are generally a peaceful lot but it has also always found ways to topple regimes that tried to stifle their rights and livelihood,” ended Ala. # # #
 

KMP - 28 August 2004