Senator Francis Escudero has filed a bill to abolish the cedula, or community tax certificate, which he said is an unnecessary burden and a relic of the country’s colonial past.
He said the cedula, which was issued in Spanish times as proof that the bearer paid their residence tax, has been rendered obsolete by the existence of other proofs of identification like driver’s licenses and passports.
“The cedula now proves to be an unnecessary burden imposed on our people who are required to present it when doing public transactions. It was deemed useless by our forebears during the colonial times, it is more so today,” he said, referring to the Cry of Pugadlawin, where revolutionaries tore up their cedulas in defiance of Spanish authority.
The bill also seeks to remove the power of local government units to impose a residence tax.
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Photo: Exec8
