Pressure from various sectors continues to mount on Malacanang and Congress following earlier proposals made by President Arroyo and her finance and budget secretaries to include tax on text messaging among the administration’s revenue measures. TXTPower, a loose formation of cellular phone subscribers of all ages and classes, started a signature campaign to against the proposed tax measure. This petition is currently being circulated in schools, workplaces, marketplaces and malls nationwide.

"With the increases in prices of basic goods, fare hikes and impending increases in electricity and water rates, Filipino consumers could not bear to be oppressed further by new taxes," the petition says. TXTPower challenges the Macapagal-Arroyo government to curb corruption, stop unproductive spending, improve revenue collection, prosecute tax evaders, seize properties of tax evaders, impose taxes on luxury purchases of the elite and cut down billions of pesos worth of tax perks offered to big companies. Moreover, the group urges the IMF, a strong advocate of the tax, to refrain from meddling in our internal affairs.

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