As January marks a tax compliance season, CIBAC Rep. Bro. Eddie Villanueva, renews his call for the urgent passage of House Bill No. 5438 which mandates a three-year income tax holiday for newly registered micro-enterprises to help them recover, stabilize, and grow amid rising costs and economic uncertainty.
Under the bill, micro-enterprises with fewer than ten employees will be exempt from paying income taxes for their first three years of operation, allowing small entrepreneurs to reinvest earnings into operations, wages, and expansion instead of immediately bearing heavy tax obligations. CIBAC stressed that this measure is especially critical during tax season, when compliance costs often weigh heaviest on the country’s smallest businesses.
“For micro-entrepreneurs, the first few years determine whether a business survives or shuts down. A three-year income tax holiday gives them the breathing room they need to recover capital, create jobs, and become sustainable contributors to the economy—without fear of being crushed by taxes before they even gain footing,” said the Rep. Bro. Eddie.
Villanueva emphasized that micro-enterprises comprise 99.63% of all businesses nationwide and generate over 6.4 million jobs, yet are the most vulnerable to economic shocks and rising operating costs.
“If we want MSMEs to grow, formalize, and hire more Filipinos, we must stop treating them like large corporations,” he said. “This tax holiday is not a giveaway—it is an investment in jobs, livelihoods, and inclusive growth.”
The CIBAC solon underscored that easing tax burdens during the critical start-up years encourages formalization, broadens the tax base in the long term, and ensures that public policy supports—not stifles—entrepreneurship.
As also an indirect anti-corruption mechanism, the bill complements the income tax holiday with simplified compliance requirements and a mandate for the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) to establish a fully digital registration and filing system.#