BIR exempts 19 maintenance, lifesaving meds from VAT

Nineteen maintenance and lifesaving medicines have been declared exempt from value-added tax (VAT) by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).

BIR Commissioner Romeo Lumagui Jr. announced that nine medicines were included under Revenue Memorandum Circular (RMC) 59-2025 and another ten under RMC 62-2025.

These exemptions were granted based on the recommendations of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The list includes seven cancer medications, three each for diabetes, hypertension, and mental illness, and one each for high cholesterol, kidney disease, and tuberculosis.

Commissioner Lumagui stated that this exemption is a concrete step towards reducing patient expenses.

Both the CREATE and TRAIN laws provide legal bases for VAT exemptions on certain health products.