SENATE Minority Leader Aquilino ‘Koko’ Pimentel III stressed the need to give incentives to teachers and other poll workers such as exempting their pay and benefits from tax.

Pimentel said it is difficult and dangerous to serve as an electoral board member during elections.

“That is precisely the point. Congress wants to give incentives to those serving as Electoral Board members by paying them good rates and exempting the income from tax at peligro ang magsilbi sa classroom bilang electoral board,” he said.

The senator reacted to the decision of President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. to veto House Bill 9652 and Senate Bill 2520 or “An Act Exempting from Income Taxation the Honoraria, Allowances, and other Financial Benefits of Persons Rendering Service during an Election Period.”

In his veto message, Marcos said that the measure runs counter to the objective of the government’s Comprehensive Tax Reform Program to correct the inequity in the tax system.

“Moreover, the studies of pertinent government agencies on the revenue loss is too substantial an impact to be foregone,” the President said.