Senator Raffy Tulfo on Tuesday renewed his call for the passage of a measure seeking to remove the travel tax imposed on Filipinos flying economy class abroad.

Tulfo said his proposal, filed as Senate Bill No. 88, highlights how the travel tax continues to impose an undue financial burden on economy-class passengers traveling on tight budgets.

“While the continued collection of travel tax contributes significantly to the development of infrastructure, education, and cultural initiatives, it cannot be denied that the ordinary Filipino traveler, particularly those who travel on economy class, bears an undue financial burden,” he said.

He clarified, however, that the bill does not seek to abolish the travel tax entirely, saying it “merely introduces a more equitable structure by retaining the imposition of travel tax on passengers traveling via business class or higher.”

Travel tax collections are distributed to the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (50 percent), the Commission on Higher Education (40 percent), and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (10 percent).