Liberal President Sen. Mar Roxas (center), together with labor groups, filed on Friday a petition with the Supreme Court asking the tribunal to order the BIR to fully implement Republic Act No. 9504, or the law which exempts minimum wage earners from payment of income taxes and increases personal exemptions for other workers. The Senator stressed that Congress' intention was for the tax exemption to cover the full year 2008, rather than the half-year exemptions provided by the BIR and Finance department's implementing rules and regulations of the law. With Roxas are (left to right) Arnold Rama of Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT), Ferdinand Gaite of COURAGE, Francisca Castro of ACT and Reynaldo L. Tayag of SAMASAH-NUWHRAIN.

Liberal President Sen. Mar Roxas (left) and COURAGE president Ferdinand Gaite (right) join a protest over the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act No. 9504, the law which exempts minimum wage earners from payment of income taxes and increases personal exemptions for other workers.. Sen. Roxas, author of the law, along with major labor groups on Friday asked the Supreme Court to order full implementation this year of the tax exemption for minimum wage earners, contrary to to the BIR and Finance department's IRR limiting application of the new tax relief law starting only from July of this year.