Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) and their dependents will benefit from travel tax exemptions, once key amendments to sections 3 and 35 of RA 8042, as incorporated in House Bill 6138, become fully approved and legalized in Congress.
RA 8042, also known as the “Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995,” encloses the exemption of travel tax and airport fees for migrant workers as well as their dependents.
Equal Recognition and Benefits to Single OFW Parents and their Dependents
The proposed changes focus on Sections 3 and 35 which cover the legal definition of OFW dependents, and the terms of eligibility for the tax exemption, respectively.
According to House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, the primary author of the aforementioned bill, the dependents of single OFW parents are just as much deserving of the benefits given to the children of married OFWs.
As per House Bill 6138, Section 3’s definition of “dependents” will not only be limited to the spouse and children of a married OFW, but will also be extended to the children of a single OFW parent. In the same way, the proposed coverage of Section 35 will not only apply to migrant workers or OFWs, but also to their dependents.
The proposed house bill aims to bring equal government recognition to single OFW parents in the same way married OFWs are acknowledged by the government.