Industry News: BPO Sector To End The Year In Growth, CDO As Next Wave City, and BPO Drives Office Market Growth
November 23, 2017
BPO Industry News: Confusion Over TRAIN Tax Perk, Economy Growth Amid BPO Slowdown, And The Effect Of Trump’s Protectionist Policies In PH BPO Expansion
January 25, 2018
BPOs evaluate emergency procedures following deadly Davao fire
Business process outsourcing (BPO) companies in Davao City are reassessing their emergency protocols after the fire that left 38 people dead, 37 of whom are call center employees.
Information Communications Technology Davao Inc. (ICT Davao) president Samuel Matunog stressed that reviewing business facilities is a necessity to avoid similar incident from happening again.
Matunog also calls for the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) not to suspend SSI operations because it may leave the workers of the said company jobless.
The company, Matunog said, vowed to keep on supporting their employees and the victim’s family following the deadly fire. — via SunStar Davao
Families of call center fire victims to receive P5-M aid
Families of Research Now SSI employees who were killed in the NCCC mall in Davao City during the holidays will receive a total of $115,000 (P5.7 million) support.
The company also continues to pay their employees salary while looking for ways to provide them with new employment.
SSI is also giving counseling services to their surviving employees and their families.
Aside from the company’s support, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) also released a total of P30 million to cover the needs of the 2,000 affected workers of the call center and the mall. — via Rappler.com
Latest tax reform will benefit individual taxpayers — finance exec
Department of Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said that the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Act (TRAIN) will benefit 99 percent of the country’s individual tax payers.
Under the new tax law, employees who earn P20,000 and below per month will be exempted from personal income taxes, which translates to more take-home pay.
“TRAIN is the first step to once and for all correct our unfair, complex, and inefficient tax system after 20 years of non-adjustment of the PIT rates, while ensuring that more people comply with their obligation to pay taxes,” Dominguez said.
The finance secretary also stated that call center agents with a monthly salary of 21,000 are already exempted from paying PIT based on TRAIN.
To compensate the losses, TRAIN adjusts excise taxes on fuel, coal, automobiles, and alcohol and tobacco products. It also introduces a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages like soft drinks with exemptions.
To mitigate the impact of commodity price increases brought by the tax reform, the government allocated P25.7 billion for the targeted cash transfer program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
This is expected to benefit the poorest Filipino households. — via Philippine Information Agency
