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Monday, April 22, 2019

BWorld 314, MORE de-bureaucratizing laws, please

* This is my article in BusinessWorld last April 12, 2019.


From January to March 11 this year, Congress has created and passed 77 new laws, 28 of national application (table below) and 49 being local or franchise laws. The dates when they were approved by the President this year are also here.


From the perspective of tax-conscious taxpayers and regulations-wary entrepreneurs, five of the 28 national laws are good laws on lesser bureaucracies, lesser taxes required: RA 11203, 11231, 11232, 11234, and 11239.

There are 15 bad laws on more bureaucracies needing more taxes, more regulations: 11180, 11194, 11199, 11200, 11201, 11206, 11210, 11214, 11215, 11223, 11228 to 11230, 11235, and 11241.

And eight are somehow neutral laws: RA 11168, 11188, 11202, 11207, 11211, 11216, 11222, and 11227.

Laws of local application include: creating another legislative district, another barangay, high school, polytechnic institute, state university, sports training center, city prosecution office, creating or upgrading a district hospital, granting citizenship to foreigners, extending or renewing a franchise, recognizing an Academy, special provincial/city holidays, renaming a public school, etc.

Majority of these are certainly bad laws because they further expand bureaucracies and offices that require expanded taxes and fees. There is endless welfarism with no timetable at the local and national levels. Congressmen, Governors and Mayors create or convert new schools, news hospitals, new barangays in their locality without spending their local resources because they pass funding to the national government via the General Appropriations Act.

In this midterm election campaign, do we see more national and local politicians promising less burden to taxpayers and entrepreneurs? From their various campaign promises and legislative agenda, the answer is No. Bad.
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