DOF assures diesel tax will have minimal impact

The government proposal to adjust the diesel excise tax to P6 per liter will have "minimal and manageable" impact on the majority of Filipinos, the Department of Finance (DOF) assured public transport operators and drivers following their brief rally in front of the DOF compound in Manila on Friday.

Finance Undersecretary Karl Kendrick Chua explained that to reduce the effect of this proposal on vulnerable sectors, the government will implement targeted cash transfers to offset the would-be slight increase in transport and food prices on the poorest 50 percent of households.