Tourism is the ANSWER all along..but is it Complicated?????

Philippines
July 27, 2010 9:43am CST
Hello lotters, I remember about this show in Timbangan where Judges examine candidates platforms in terms of solving poverty.one of the candidates Richard Gordon Proposed that "tourism" was the only answer to poverty. judges unanimously agreed because it does create employment.but some how i wonder, where will the MONEY GO?!! that was probably the loophole for this proposal, where would our tax GO(from tourism)? i guess that's why the other judge had some doubts about it first before he reluctantly agreed to it. but in his track record, tourism exposed a lot of good places in our country, but i still wonder where does taxes go? besides increasing revenue or generate jobs. not a referral. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pw4BXbyMR10 Finally, it took Noy's first SONA to finally make me realize that we can generate income for government projects or it's departments all along..... when he mentioned a particular tourism in the manila bay so that it's taxes will go straight forward to modernization of Philippine navy. I wonder, will this works too: e.g. # 1 Taxes from Tourism spots (coming from Luzon)for Education(schools, chairs, teachers, and others) Taxes from Tourism " (coming from Visayas)for Medical Services (health care,nurse,doctors, and hospitals) Taxes from Tourism " (coming from Mindanao) for Calamity Funds Taxes from Tourism (coming from all three islands) and remittances for OFW's another example is in this discussion............ http://www.mylot.com/w/discussions/2364861.aspx Yes, yes corruption could be possible here. but it's a good start. it's like making a concert for a specific charity. for example, a specific tourist spot is targeted and it's taxes will go straight into the "Calamity fund Projects" that's why people complain, they don't know where the taxes go specifically. for example, where is the taxes of professionals, like for example call center agents, where are those taxes goes to? it should be put in specific funding that has something to do for call center agents well being from the government or another department..... I am not sure, am creating a hypothesis here that seemed a way of.. Let's discuss this people, no pessimistic RESPONSE here, please expand this nice idea.... my conclusion is that... [b] specific tax payers should be informed where they're tax money is going to.[/b] e.g. doctors,nurse,hospitals tax = department of Health Private Schools, teachers (public/private) = Department of Education the example is possibility of transparency when it comes to checks and balances on where taxes specifically go to...trouble is, we are as blind as a bat, so we could easily say it's corruption when there's no transparency. Your views Please..have a great day.
1 person likes this
4 responses
• Philippines
30 Jul 10
we have lots of neighboring asian countries who really delved in tourism to boost up the economy. singapore and hongkong are two places that rake in a fair amount of foreign visitors every year. the airports alone are generating a chunk. their tourism industry is great. their system works for them. if a traveller has a spare of at least 4 hours in between flights while in singapore, he/she could inquire on a tourist desk and hop on a tourist bus for 1-2 hours and taste a bit of scenery and culture... for free. the interconnecting train stations in hongkong made all the 3 major islands very accessible to tourists. even in bali, the tourism industry is thriving while keeping the culture intact. tourism industry has great potential. it just needs careful planning and well-thought out systems. as for transparency especially in the taxation system... it's a great idea. perhaps people in the same industry will likely support more by paying taxes if they know they are helping out the very industry that provides them a source of living (example: taxes from health professionals goes to health projects etc.)
1 person likes this
• Philippines
31 Jul 10
yeah, and the reason why people are evading tax or not in the mood of paying tax at all is because the government is corrupt, and it's been part of the system in the country. i hope the President gets to bust these staff who hoards money and bring back the people's trust to the government.
@TheAdvocate (2392)
• Philippines
29 Jul 10
That is one of the platforms of Gordon that I believe has a chance in the Philippines. There are a lot of places where the tourism infrastructure can be developed to bring in more income. Most taxes go to the national coffers and Congress is in charge of allocating resources. There are all kinds of taxes that can be generated from tourism but they are indirect taxes. If you raise revenues from tourism, there are several sources from it, including local spending by tourists. I think PNoy's point is that there are not a lot of tourists coming in, say as opposed to Thailand, and we can generate more income from it. Our one big problem is image. Tourists will only come if they feel safe going around here. As we know, this is one problem that has to be solved. Again, as we all know, the big drain to our budget is corruption. If PNoy is somehow able to plug these leaks, we will have more money for anti-poverty programs.
1 person likes this
• Philippines
29 Jul 10
Hello there, Yes, corruption has been the biggest drain, even if this idea didn't emerge in the SONA we would still be flourished. we are deteriorating as a nation and people, i hope the new President can live up to every ones expectations, it's just too much and way too many. besides, he had exposed a lot of corruption there.
@Hatley (163772)
• Garden Grove, California
28 Jul 10
hi Letran I know I am not Filippino but its interesting to watch your new President at least attempting to do some good things. I am with you, tourism could really help but I think that it should also show where everything goes so that people all know whether this is all above board or whether there is corruption. yes taxpayers have a right to know where their money is really going. I am now wondering about our own country and are we always shown just where our taxes go? good question. I see high hopes for your country if this is done right.
• Philippines
29 Jul 10
Well, maybe it's not the primary source of income but it will be added for additional income for that modernization. i don't think Pnoy can ever solve ALL the problems in six years, but it's a good start anyways, it's a new beginning.
@mspitot (3824)
• Philippines
31 Jul 10
I hope that all those good plans for our country will come true. we should benefit from our country's productivity and not just those who can manipulate the money.
• Philippines
31 Jul 10
Hello mspitot, that tourism part was the best thing that impresses me. although mere words, i wanted it to happen, if it works it could be a perfect model for other government agencies.