DTI asks online sellers to provide senior, PWD discounts

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has urged e-commerce platforms to prepare their systems in accepting price discounts for senior citizens and persons with disability (PWD), according to a report by Philippine News Agency.

DTI Secretary Ramon Lopez said in a radio interview Monday that those enterprises operating online stores should reprogram their system to include the 20-percent 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.

The DTI has yet to announce when it will start requiring online shops to include senior citizen and PWD discounts on their platforms.

Earlier, the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) said most online purchases do not apply the discounts for senior citizens and PWDs.

At the onset of the pandemic, consumer advocacy group Laban Konsyumer, Inc. (LKI) has been pushing for senior citizen and PWD discounts on online transactions amid the increase in activities on e-commerce.