DOF working on General Tax Amnesty
According to Finance Secretary Ralph Recto, the DOF is now working on drafting a bill for the possible General Tax Amnesty, with a similar measure vetoed by former President Rodrigo Duterte in 2019 for being 'overgenerous and unregulated.'
'While no new tax proposals are on the table, refined measures—such as the Rationalization of the Mining Fiscal Regime—are awaiting enactment, we are also studying the possibility of enacting General Tax Amnesty and Online Gambling Tax laws,' he said in a speech during the EJAP Economic Forum 2025.
'It's not gonna be the same bill as passed by Congress then that was vetoed. Ito, just general tax amnesty, simple — simple Amnesty Bill lang 'to,' he told reporters in Manila.
Sought for the timeline, Recto said the measure could be passed this year, but it will still have to undergo consultations with the Office of the President, and other Cabinet Secretaries.
'We'll have to have it approved with the President and with the Cabinet,' Recto said, adding that he bill is expected to be pushed within 2025.
To recall, former President Rodrigo Duterte in February 2019 rejected the general tax amnesty for all unpaid internal revenue taxes including income tax, withholding tax, capital gains tax, donor's tax, value added tax, documentary stamp tax, and other percentage taxes and excise taxes collected both by the Bureaus of Internal Revenue (BIR) and Customs (BOC) for taxable year 2017 and prior years.
Recto said the measure could also possibly include provisions on the estate tax amnesty, given appeals to have this extended.
Under Republic Act 11956, which amended the original Estate Tax Amnesty law, heirs of those who died on or before May 31, 2022 were allowed to pay a flat 6% estate tax rate without surcharges, penalties, or interest. This program expired on June 14, 2025.
Online gambling
Meanwhile, Recto said the DOF is also working with other agencies for a whole-of-government approach to address online gambling, which the Department of Health (DOH) flagged as a 'public health concern.'
According to Recto, government employees should also be banned from online gambling, as they are in brick and mortar casinos.
'Dapat lang (It should be), and the reason for that is simple — when you enter a brick and mortar casino, bawal 'pag below 21, bawal pagka government employees (prohibited if below 21 and if one is a government employee) … Similar, I think we should do that for online gambling,' he said.
Recto said GOCCs should also be prevented from investing in online gambling firms, as seen when the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) was reported to have invested P1 billion into online gambling platform DigiPlus.
'We'll look into it. I agree. Ang Maharlika hindi magiinvest doon (Maharlika won't invest there),' he said, referring to the country's sovereign wealth fund Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF).
Recto earlier said the government is looking to increase revenues from the industry, with the possibility of charging firms up to 45% of their gross gaming revenues (GGR), from the current 25%.
A number of lawmakers have pushed for a ban given worries that addiction is soaring, with more gamblers drawn to online, even accelerated further by advertisements on social media and e-wallet platforms.
Several lawmakers have also proposed stricter regulations for online gambling, as they said a total ban would only lead to the public heading to illegal operations. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News
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