THE 20% discount and value-added tax (VAT) exemption for persons with disability (PWD) apply to the total cost of a group meal if it can be proven that the food is exclusively for their consumption, according to the Department of Justice (DoJ).
“In the purchase of a group meal which is ideally for food sharing, if it can be clearly determined that it was for the exclusive use, enjoyment or availment of only one person who is a PWD, i.e., dine-in transactions, then the 20% discount and VAT exemption should apply to the total amount of the food purchased,” it said in a legal opinion written by Assistant Secretary Randolph A. Pascasio.
Under the rules that enforce the Magna Carta for PWDs, the discounts are limited to the consumption of the person with disability. The DoJ noted that when the law is clear, it must be given its literal meaning and applied without interpretation.
The clarification came after Glenda D. Relova, executive director of the National Council on Disability Affairs, sought guidance from the DoJ regarding the application of the discount in group settings. — Chloe Marie A. Hufana
