INIREKOMENDA ni House committee on ways and means chairman Joey Salceda ang pagbibigay ng P45 bilyong subsidy sa mga maliliit na negosyante para maiwasan na magtanggal ang mga ito ng empleyado matapos ang Enhanced Community Quarantine.
Ayon kay Salceda aabot sa 5.98 milyong manggagawa ang matutulungan ng kanyang panukalang Payroll Support for Workers, Entrepreneurs, and Self-employed (PSWES) Program.
“I wrote to President Duterte today to recommend to him that we begin calibrating a wage subsidy program for small and medium enterprises, as well as for those in the gig economy. We will need these enterprises to operate, so it’s essential for the economy and for job preservation that we lend them a helping hand,” ani Salceda.
Sinabi ni Salceda na kailangan ang payroll system support program ng micro-, small- and medium-enterprises (MSMEs) na naapektuhan ang kita ng ECQ. Kung walang tulong na makukuha ay maaaring tanggalin sa trabaho ang ilang empleyado dahil walang pampasuweldo.
“Apart from supporting business, the program will also be able to provide relief to formal economy workers, entrepreneurs, and self-employed individuals, who typically belong to the middle class. Income support will also likely be necessary for freelancers and those in the gig economy who were unable to earn income due to the ECQ,” paliwanag ng solon.
Ang matutulungan umano ng panukala ni Salceda ay MSME employees—4.1 milyon na nasa formal economy workers (batay sa BIR data on small taxpayers) at 1.5 milyong freelancers (batay sa 2018 Global Freelancer Insights Report.). Together, these sectors have a combined workforce of 5.98 million workers.”
Ang average na sahod umano ng mga ito ay P9,500 kada buwan at ang panukala niya ay P2,500-P3,000 kada buwan sa loob ng dalawang buwan o P44.85 bilion-P53.82 bilyon.
Para maging maayos ang pamimigay maaari umano itong idaan sa Social Security System sa tulong ng BIR at Department of Labor and Employment para sa formal sector, at para sa freelancer ay isang open-application window na katulad ng Covid Adjustment Measures Program (CAMP) ng DOLE.
“I’m also proposing that we couple the open-application process for freelancers with cost-free BIR and SSS registration. That way, they are able to see the full benefits of being accredited with the state, while also being able to contribute in future years when they are in better conditions. Kumbaga, bigyan kita ng tulong ngayon, para kapag nakaluwag-luwag ka na, makatulong ka rin sa iba. We will need to expand the tax base when this situation normalizes. I think this will be a big part of that effort.”