Fix the system first

While Pasig was reportedly saving over ₱1 billion a year through better governance, the Department of Finance floated a proposal to raise capital gains, donor’s, and estate taxes from 6% to 10% under the GROWTH bill, supposedly to raise around ₱300 billion by 2030.  

That proposal was later withdrawn. Good.

But the instinct behind it should still worry taxpayers.

When government needs money, the first reflex should not be to raise taxes. The first reflex should be to fix leakage, waste, corruption, procurement abuse, ghost projects, and poor fiscal discipline.

Pasig showed a simple point: when public funds are managed properly, savings are possible without adding new burdens on citizens.

The issue is not always low taxes.

The issue is poor governance.

A government that has not fully cleaned up how it spends existing money has no moral right to casually ask taxpayers for more.

Taxation should be the last resort, not the first solution.

Fix the system first. Serve the people first. Then talk about taxes.