Where will the funds come from?
Eleven Possibilities:
- Registration of vehicles – progressive according to weight and engine – a displacement (poor people don’t drive expeditions!)
- Gambling money – a certain percentage is earmarked for the pensions (Pagcor)
- The “sin tax” – on cigarettes, beer and alcohol drinks (progressive – higher for Johnny Walker blue than Ginebra San Miguel)
- A percentage of the travel tax (only people with money travel abroad – especially on vacation tours)
- A local NGO working in environmental issues was able to secure funding by way of “debt swap.” Current foreign debt of the Philippine is in the range of US50 billion and with world attention on “debt relief” the concrete possibility exists for a portion of the debt to be utilized for social pension.
- Just a counterpart is deducted from salaries for SSS, Pag-ibig, etc, a small percentage could be deducted from salaries over a certain amount (e.g. 50,000 a month and over)
- a percentage of taxes on luxury housing (condos over 1 million)
- items considered to be “luxury goods” (they would have to be listed such as expensive perfumes, designer clothing, imported food stuff, etc.)
- Each congressperson receives 70 million pesos a year for “countryside development” and each Senator 200 million, if each congressperson donated 5 million (less than 7%) then 5 x 230 = 1 billion, 150 million and each Senator deduct 10 million (5%) then 22x 10 = 2.2 billion… there would be more than enough for every poor persons to receive 1000 a month.
- Schools, considered to be “exclusive” could be enlisted into the program and add an amount to tuition costs, in return for which, recipients of the pension could act as advisors in the anti-poverty program of the schools.
- All national line agencies are enjoined by legislation to set aside 1% of their budgets (elderly and disabled) and local government 1%. The sum total of both would be enough for pensions for the poorest of the poor older people.
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