Albay: Albay 3rd District Rep. Raymond Adrian Salceda is championing a legislative proposal to exempt election-related honoraria and allowances from income tax. The bill aims to ensure that teachers and other election workers receive their full compensation for the demanding and potentially risky roles they perform during elections. According to Philippines News Agency, Salceda has introduced House Bill No. 7387, which seeks to exclude from taxable income the payments received by members of the Board of Election Inspectors (BEIs), technical support staff, data encoders, IT personnel, and transmission operators. These individuals serve during national and local elections, plebiscites, referenda, recall polls, and the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) scheduled for November 2026. Salceda highlighted the challenges faced by public school teachers and government employees who volunteer for election duty. They encounter long working hours and potential security threats, especially in remote area s, yet their modest honoraria are reduced by taxes. "The work of teachers and BEIs is difficult and sometimes life-threatening, especially in remote areas. How much does the government really earn from taxing their honoraria? Let's just give it to them," Salceda stated. Under current regulations, honoraria paid by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) are considered part of gross income and are subject to income tax, diminishing the compensation for election workers. The proposed measure is anticipated to benefit over 750,000 election workers during national and local elections, along with more than 600,000 teachers and Department of Education personnel involved in barangay and SK elections. Comelec data revealed that during the May 2025 midterm elections, approximately 758,549 poll workers were deployed across more than 110,000 voting precincts nationwide. Moreover, nearly PHP7 billion in honoraria was distributed to over 640,000 election workers during the 2023 BSKE, including close to half a million teac hers. Salceda emphasized the critical roles election workers play in maintaining the integrity of elections. Their tasks range from assisting voters and operating vote-counting machines to transmitting official results, often starting before dawn and finishing late into the night. "This is not an annual job. It happens only once in a while, yet it creates tax complications. They should receive their honoraria in full," he added.