AS THE IMPOVERISHED GET EVEN POORER: AN ANALYSIS ON THE IMPACT OF PHILIPPINE TRAIN LAW TO THE MINIMUM WAGE EARNER

In the Philippines, the TRAIN Law or tax reform for acceleration and inclusion legislation was put into effect in 2018. This law sought to significantly alter the nation's tax structure in order to increase money for poverty alleviation, healthcare, and infrastructure. One of the features of the law was to increase the income threshold below which minimum wage earners would not be required to pay income tax. But it also resulted in higher costs for goods and services, which had an effect on Metro Manila's level of living. This qualitative research examines the significant data and information based on the participant's experiences with the TRAIN law. Semi-structured questions were used in the in-depth interview to facilitate deeper clarification and additional discussion. The results show that the majority of the impact of the law on the poor is related to basic needs like food, for which they must cut their budget in order to survive because there are other expenses to consider, such as utility bills and debts. Moreover, it impacts an individual's emotional and overall health, including mental health concerns brought on by financial difficulties. Additionally, it has an impact on their social interaction because they tend to engage with others less frequently because they are preoccupied with the things that need significant financial outlays. Thus, it may be inferred that the poor income class households' standard of living declined with the introduction of TRAIN law. KEYWORDS: tax reform law, poverty alleviation, minimum wage earner