The House of Representatives approved the measure, which aims to extend the deadline of the estate tax amnesty for another two years, on its final reading on Monday, May 15.

House Bill 7909, which extends the coverage and period of availing of the Estate Tax Amnesty from June 14, 2023, to June 14, 2025, gets approval from a total of 259 lawmakers during the plenary session with no abstained votes.

With this measure, it seeks to amend Republic Act 11213, also known as "Tax Amnesty Act."

According to the principal author of the said bill, House Speaker Martin Romualdez, the suggested extension would provide those affected by the statute with sufficient time to take advantage of the amnesty and reduced tax rates so they could use the homes and other assets they had inherited from their deceased loved ones.

Romualdez noted that the described idea will lessen the load on people who wish to take advantage of the amnesty but are still transitioning from financial troubles to post-pandemic recovery.

Additionally, he urged the Bureau of Internal Revenue to make the amnesty application process simpler and to allow online filing, especially for heirs who are overseas Filipino workers.

He did this by arguing that paying estate taxes would increase government revenue while also accelerating the distribution of inherited property.

Meanwhile, the Tax Amnesty Act, which applies to the estates of ancestors who passed away before December 31, 2017, with or without duly issued assessments, and whose estate taxes have remained unpaid or have accrued on the same date, gave delinquent heirs, executors, and administrators until June 15, 2021, to take advantage of amnesty.

Amnesty recipients are immune from civil, criminal, and administrative proceedings, as well as fines under the 1997 Tax Code.

Because of the pandemic, Congress amended the statute in June 2021 to provide for a two-year extension until June 14, 2023.