Abolish not only Road Board but also road users' tax, Colmenares urges Congress

Not only the Road Board should be abolished, but the road users' tax, Bayan Muna party-list chairman Neri Colmenares said on Tuesday, as he urged Congress to pass the bill to end the road tax collection.

“Ini-urge ko po ang Senado  na sana huwag tayong magpadala sa issue na i-abolish ba ang Board o hindi. Hindi lang po Board ang issue rito. Ang issue rito ang road user's tax,” Colmenares said at the weekly Pandesal Forum at the Kamuning Bakery Café in Quezon City .

Following allegations of corruption, the House and Senate pushed for the abolition of the Road Board which oversees funds collected from the motor vehicle user's charge (MUVCs).

Even if the Road Board was abolished, but the road users' tax fund remained, Colmenares said it could not be guaranteed that the corruption of the fund will stop.

“Kung itutuloy ang road users' tax, nandoon man ang tax taon-taon, magbabayad tayo. Ipapasa na naman sa isang corrupt na ahensya. We will end up with the same problem,” he said.

House Majority Floor Leader Rolando Andaya, Jr. earlier suggested moving the road users' tax collection fund, which amounts P12 billion a year, to the Department of Public Works and Highways’ (DPWH). 

Colmenares, however, said the DPWH already has a budget for road safety.

“Road safety? May budget na ang DPWH sa General Appropriations Act (GAA). Taon-taon may budget ang DPWH para gumawa ng kalsada. Huwag nilang sabihin na walang road safety component yun,” he said.

“So ang panawagan ko sa Senado,  it’s not really the issue of  eliminating or  abolishing  the Board, but the road user's tax itself,” Colmenares said.

The MVUC fund currently stands at P45 billion.  The fund is to be used exclusively for road maintenance and improvement of road drainage, installation of traffic lights and road safety devices, and air pollution control. 

The Department of Budget and Management has not issued an amount from the fund because of the looming abolition of the board.—LDF, GMA News