CAGAYAN de Oro City Rep. Rufus Rodriguez yesterday filed a bill seeking to grant tax exemption to public school teachers as a non-wage benefit to entice more competent educators to join the public service.
In House Bill No. 9106, Rodriguez said it is important for the government to compensate teachers sufficiently so the education sector could attract the most competent personnel.
The bill provides that “all salaries, wages, allowances, and benefits granted to public school teachers, including those in state colleges and universities at all levels, shall be exempted from the withholding taxes as provided for by pertinent laws, rules and regulations pertaining to withholding taxes.”
Citing data from the Department of Budget and Management, the administration lawmaker noted that there are around 880,000 public school teachers in the country.
“The latest report also shows that the teacher-to-student/pupil radio is 1:29 in the elementary level, 1:25 in high school and 1:29 in senior high school. This highlights the difficulties our teachers face in providing quality education to our students,” he said.
Despite the importance of their work, Rodriguez said teachers are among the lowest-paid government workers.
“It is vital that the government attracts the most competent and efficient teachers for the benefit of our students. To do this, the government must provide compensation and benefits, whether monetary or otherwise, commensurate to the work they perform and the contribution they make to society,” he said.
