Private car owners won’t be getting a break from the Duterte Administration any time soon. With the TRAIN Law already making the price of new vehicles and fuel much more expensive than before, the Department of Financing is now toying with the idea of increasing Motor Vehicle registration fees starting next year.

In a report published by The Manila Bulletin, the Department of Finance (DOF) is preparing an Executive Order (EO) that will raise the Motor Vehicle User’s Charge or MVUC.

Citing Republic Act 8794, it’s within the President’s power to impose higher registration fees on car owners. The increase is only limited by two things: the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and that the rate adjustment can only be done once every five (5) years.

DOF Undersecretary Karl Kendrick Chua revealed that since MVUC rates haven’t moved since 2004, it’s within Duterte’s power to adjust the MVUC rates. The DOF is currently drafting the Executive Order and will submit the same for the President’s approval soon thereafter.

With inflation currently hovering at 5 percent, expect registration rates to rise around the same amount by 2019. In other words, registration fees that are currently P 2,000 will likely cost P 2,100 next year.

This move by the DOF to increase MVUC rates comes at a time when the government is already limiting the benefits of private vehicle ownership with programs such as the Expanded HOV Policy on EDSA (currently on a dry run) and the proposed No Garage, No Car Policy.

The increase in MVUC rates is just the first step in the DOF’s planned changes when it comes to motor vehicle registration. Chua says that the DOF is also looking to overhaul the base rates of the MVUC system.

Source: The Manila Bulletin