Application for travel tax exemption now online

MANILA, November 27 ------ Filipinos traveling abroad can now apply online for travel tax exemption, the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) said.

TIEZA said it is enhancing its Online Travel Tax Services System (OTTSS) to help millions of passengers. TIEZA Chief Operating Officer Mark Lapid said that in line with the government’s ease of doing business initiatives, TIEZA now supports the online application for the Travel Tax Exemption Certificate and Reduced Travel Tax. Those exempted from paying the travel tax no longer need to queue to get the exemption certificate. This benefits about 800,000 outbound travelers yearly who qualify for the privilege, including Overseas Filipino Workers, Filipino athletes joining sports competitions, among many others. "By embracing innovation and digital transformation, we are not only modernizing government services; we are enhancing the overall travel experience," said Lapid.

The travel tax can also now be paid through the eGov app. One can register for eTravel and pay the travel tax in one app. The integration means that all personal information is automatically retrieved from the eTravel profile, so there is no need to input much data to pay the tax. This is on top of the earlier service, which allows passengers to pay the travel tax via the TIEZA website. The travel tax is a mandate of Republic Act 9593, which says that 50 percent of proceeds go to TIEZA, another 40 percent to the Commission on Higher Education, and 10 percent to the National Commission for Culture & the Arts.

For TIEZA, the tax proceeds have been used for several projects like the building of Tourist Rest Areas nationwide, the rehabilitation of tourism-related sites like the Banaue Hotel and Youth Hostel and Gat Andres Bonifacio Shrine and Eco-Tourism Park in Cavite, and the development of Tourism Enterprise Zones, among others.

Source: news.abs-cbn.com