The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has urged e-commerce platforms to prepare their systems to accommodate price discounts for senior citizens and persons with disability (PWD) transactions.
DTI Secretary Ramon Lopez said in a radio interview Monday that enterprises operating online stores should reprogram their system to include the 20% senior citizen and PWD discounts.
Senior citizens and PWDs are also exempted from value-added tax (VAT) payment of 8 percent for purchases made online, phone calls, and mobile apps. “We will require the online stores to have these features,” Lopez said.
Earlier, the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) said most online purchases do not apply the discounts for senior citizens and PWDs.
A consumer advocacy group, the Laban Konsyumer, Inc. (LKI) has been pushing for senior citizen and PWD discounts on online transactions amid the increase in e-commerce activities.