Sin tax bill still in limbo in Senate

Senate has yet to approve the sin tax reform bill but agreed in principle to raise an additional P40 billion in revenues from cigarettes and alcohol. The P40 billion target is dubbed as “the crux of the bill,” which was expected to be passed on November 19 after President Aquino certified this as a priority measure and wants it passed by yearend. The Reproductive Health (RH) bill took up most of the chamber’s time, resulting in senators lacking the time to tackle amendments and pass the sin tax bill on second and third reading.

Read more in Rappler here and here.