VAT-free
"Come to think of it, the government charges the 12 percent value added tax (VAT) on commercial infant formula and therefore even profits from the multi-million infant formula industry even while the national breastfeeding program suffers from lack of attention."
"It's healthier and cheaper, and to top it all, the government can't VAT mother's milk," she pointed out.
She said studies show that a family spends an average of P4,000 per month for formula-feeding an infant. Bottle-feeding and infant formula, she added, have also been linked to incidents of diarrhea and acute respiratory infection among infants.
Cayetano is the author of Senate Bill 1698, also known as the "Expanded Breastfeeding Act of 2007" which has been passed on third reading at the Senate and is now awaiting a counterpart measure from the House of Representatives.
The bill seeks to revive the culture of breastfeeding in the country by mandating the establishment of "lactation stations" in public places and private and public offices.
The proposal also aims to put up "human milk banks" in health institutions providing maternity services as an additional measure to promote early breastfeeding and eliminate the use of infant formula milk in both public and private hospitals. - GMANews.TV
Source: http://www.gmanews.tv/story/111053/Senator-pushes-for-breastfeeding-amid-rising-poverty-and-hunger
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to add it up, mothers milk is healthier and can strengthen an infant's immune system. it would not only benefit the baby greatly (http://www.007b.com/wonders_breastmilk.php), but can lessen the expenditures in the household.
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