Senate bill seeks end to travel tax collections

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February 17, 2026 | 11:19am

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Kiko Pangilinan has filed a bill moving to abolish the travel tax.

In a statement on Tuesday, February 17, Pangilinan said that the measure seeks to remove the “economic burden” for Filipinos.

“By lowering the cost of international travel, we expect to stimulate passenger volume, increase spending on transport, accommodation, food, and services, and generate positive spillovers across the economy,” Senate Bill 1843 said in its explanatory note.

“Increased travel activity also strengthens people-to-people exchanges and supports the Philippines' positioning as a competitive and accessible destination,” it added.

The travel tax is currently at P2,700 for first-class passengers and P1,620 for economy class.

Pangilinan said that it was an extra cost that hindered Filipinos’ right to travel.

The programs that the travel tax is funding should instead be charged to the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority, an attached agency of the Department of Tourism.

If the measure is passed, it will repeal the travel tax provision in the Tourism Act of 2009.

Once it is passed, it also guarantees a tax refund to passengers with trips scheduled on or after the effectivity of the law.

Sen. Joel Villanueva had also earlier filed his version of the travel tax abolishment bill.

“Public policy must evolve with economic reality. The time is ripe for the removal of the travel tax because it is an outdated burden, and this policy shift positions our country as an open and connected economy in the region,” Villanueva said.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has recently declared the abolishment of the travel tax as a priority legislation, urging lawmakers to pass the bill as soon as they can.