The additional revenue to be generated by two House-approved bills that seek to increase tobacco and alcohol excise taxes may not be enough to bridge the P40-billion funding gap for the government’s universal health care (UHC) program, the Department of Finance (DOF) said.

In an interview, Finance assistant secretary Antonio Lambino said House Bill (HB) 8677 on tobacco excise taxes is estimated to generate P1.8 billion in additional revenue next year, [...]