FRANCIS TOLENTINO

See Francis Tolentino at Asia CEO Forum on February 22 (Friday - 8:00am to 10:00am) at the fabulous Manila Marriott.  

Easily one of the most important political figures in the country, Francis Tolentino has filed his certificate of candidacy for the upcoming Senate elections.  Tolentino was previously high-profile chairman of the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA).  Among many initiatives, he launched Metro Manila's first Integrated Bus Terminal in history, relaunched the Pasig River Ferry System, set the framework for regulating outdoor advertisements, etc. He was previously long-time mayor of Tagaytay City and played a strong role in making it one of the nation's premier tourist destinations.  

ALSO: See the tax duo of Lanee David, Deputy Commissioner of the BIR, and Mon Abrea, known widely as the "Tax Whiz."

The Comprehensive Tax Reform Program of the Department of Finance is the biggest opportunity Filipinos have to create a prosperous and progressive population.  It is also the biggest threat to maintaining the remarkable rate of wealth creation achieved over the past decade. 

Among many topics:

How can the government reduce tax rates that are among the highest in Southeast Asia?

How can the government expand the tax base that is among the lowest in Southeast Asia?

Will high growth employers like BPO and manufacturing be sacrificed for tax reform?

Will the government make it easier to pay taxes with standardized processes and electronic filing?

Will more tax amnesties create new taxpayers or just encourage more tax evasion?

Will future reforms further stoke inflation that is already at the highest levels in decades?

How can the BIR do its job when it has more than 10,000 open positions that can't be filled?  

Will salaries of BIR staff be increased and will doing so reduce corruption perceptions?