Abstract
'Business in Asia Today'
Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao's latest contest pitches him against the country's tax commissioner, Kim Henares, who has entered the ring with a US$50 million payment demand. The dispute sheds light on much deeper issues and the need for economic reform in the Philippines.
---
Beyond the headlines the case has spawned, some much bigger issues about the state of the Philippine economy are beginning to resonate. These are essentially about the creation of a critical mass in favour of much-needed tax and economic reforms. Filipinos have dared to question the “rule of law” from the point of view of justice and to criticise the rhetoric of “good governance” from the perspective of democracy. If the moment can be seized then the possibilities for a deepening of political democratization and socioeconomic development may come just a step closer.
The current conflict brought about by the Pacquiao–Henares exchanges opens up significant issues for rethinking not only policy changes with regards to the tax regime but also the overall processes of social reform and economic development. I sketch out here four interrelated problem areas that trace the points of conflict that will frame the struggle for substantive policy reform. First, I unpack the ‘for whom’ question in the political economy of the Philippine taxation structure. Second, I draw attention to the significance of principles behind tax and fiscal policies. Third, I propose that tax reforms and the goal of redistribution must be linked with strategies for the development of the economic mode of production. Lastly, I point out the futility of the “pro- versus anti-Aquino” discursive framing in contemporary policy debates for the formation of a movement towards economic reforms and social change.
---
Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao's latest contest pitches him against the country's tax commissioner, Kim Henares, who has entered the ring with a US$50 million payment demand. The dispute sheds light on much deeper issues and the need for economic reform in the Philippines.
---
Beyond the headlines the case has spawned, some much bigger issues about the state of the Philippine economy are beginning to resonate. These are essentially about the creation of a critical mass in favour of much-needed tax and economic reforms. Filipinos have dared to question the “rule of law” from the point of view of justice and to criticise the rhetoric of “good governance” from the perspective of democracy. If the moment can be seized then the possibilities for a deepening of political democratization and socioeconomic development may come just a step closer.
The current conflict brought about by the Pacquiao–Henares exchanges opens up significant issues for rethinking not only policy changes with regards to the tax regime but also the overall processes of social reform and economic development. I sketch out here four interrelated problem areas that trace the points of conflict that will frame the struggle for substantive policy reform. First, I unpack the ‘for whom’ question in the political economy of the Philippine taxation structure. Second, I draw attention to the significance of principles behind tax and fiscal policies. Third, I propose that tax reforms and the goal of redistribution must be linked with strategies for the development of the economic mode of production. Lastly, I point out the futility of the “pro- versus anti-Aquino” discursive framing in contemporary policy debates for the formation of a movement towards economic reforms and social change.
---
| Originalsprog | Engelsk |
|---|---|
| Tidsskrift | Asia Times |
| Status | Udgivet - 23 dec. 2013 |