One Car for Every OFW Tax Free

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One lazy evening my buddy Delfin, his wife and I were having coffee at a nearby coffee shop to where we live here in Qatar, it’s the usual conversation until it lead to about how difficult it is to acquire a Qatar driving license, then we turn to cars on how easy it is to own one here because banks here are so aggressively offering car loans to those who are interested even to those that are not interested.

It is easier to buy a car abroad than in our country as the banks ask only of minimal requirements unlike in the Philippines where banks have their own agents to look into the credit standing of the person who is applying for a loan and sometimes even go deeper than that, as if he is some kind of a criminal being under surveillance but that’s my own observation anyway.

OFWs are always being addressed by the Philippine Government as “Mga Bagong Bayani” (modern heroes) maybe we are “hehemm!” which business communities and economist would agree upon. The Philippine economy stays afloat even during financial crisis in Asia and even the world because of the billions of dollars that OFWs remit and that’s a fact. “I am one of those ehemm!” “Excuse me po” just clearing my throat. I guess it’s about time that the government would show sincerity in recognizing the contributions of each and every OFW around the world by giving some incentives. Where am I leading? Just be patient I’m about to drop the bomb.

Have you ever dreamt of bringing home a hard-earned luxury car (That is at least to our country’s standard of luxury cars because in OIL-RICH countries it’s a different story which by the way will be tackled on my next article). OK, don’t raise your eyebrows yet, I’m trying to make a point here. I for one dream of it every day to the extent of probably sending a car piece by piece and re-assemble it after. We all know how expensive it is to bring home a car from anywhere in the world due to the government’s imposed tax particularly the custom tax. Probably you’re getting a hint of what this article is all about base on this paragraph and its title so I better go on with it.

One car for every OFW tax free, what if the government will allow every OFW to bring home a car exempted from custom tax? Wouldn’t it be nice to take home your car from where you are working now back home upon retirement? Or better yet bring home the car that you have won on some raffles being held by big supermarkets here, sounds sweet right? I hope one of our lawmakers can read this article and formulate a resolution to push for what I’ve just blurted-out.

Hello congressman, senator, anyone? I guess this article is too late. I just remembered, the elections will be held this coming Monday, they will be too busy recovering from the exhaustion money-wise, physically and mentally...”Babawi muna ika nga”. I am keeping my fingers crossed and hope that in one way or the other, one of our legislators will initiate such kind of a law benefiting the OFWs around the world who are being addressed as “BAYANI”.

Why don’t we make a movement? I guess collectively we have the voice and together we can shout so our government can hear us and do something about it.