The Senate Wants to Abolish the Travel Tax Before 2026 Ends

(SPOT.ph) Nobody wants another fee tacked onto an already expensive trip abroad, especially one that costs P1,620 before you’ve even left the country. The good news? Filipino travelers might not have to put up with that extra charge for much longer.

Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian said the Senate is targeting the abolition of the Philippine travel tax before the end of 2026, giving the proposal a clearer timeline after the House of Representatives already approved its own version last March.

“We will abolish travel tax. Removing this additional cost reduces friction in international mobility,” Gatchalian said at a Management Association of the Philippines forum on August 20.

Under House Bill No. 8464, no government agency or private entity would be allowed to collect the travel tax once the law takes effect. Travelers who had already paid the tax for flights scheduled on or after its effectivity would also be entitled to an immediate refund.

The proposal also has broad support in the Senate. Gatchalian, Juan Miguel Zubiri, Kiko Pangilinan, Mark Villar and Erwin Tulfo are among the senators who have previously filed their own measures seeking to abolish the tax.

Also read: EXPLAINER: Why Do We Have to Pay Travel Tax?

At present, Filipino travelers going on international trips are charged P1,620 for economy or business class passage and P2,700 for first class, according to the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority.

The levy has been around for a long time. Its present legal framework traces back to Presidential Decree No. 1183 issued on August 21, 1977—meaning the tax has been part of Philippine overseas travel for almost five decades.

Getting rid of it comes with one big problem, though: the government would lose P6 billion in revenue, according to Gatchalian.

“Ang revenue loss niya, estimate, is almost around P6 billion. We think that it will be offset by the growth in the tourism industry,” Gatchalian said.

Lawmakers are also looking at other ways to make up for the lost revenue, including possible changes to taxes on alcohol, cigarettes, and vape products. Under House Bill No. 8464, programs being funded by travel tax collections would instead receive funding through the national budget.

Also read: PSA: Travel Tax Is Now Required for the eTravel