Applying the HRBA Public Finance Framework to Public Revenues Applying the HRBA framework to public revenues acknowledges: o Why should one pay tax? o Has the Philippines mobilized the maximum available financial resources to progressively realize human rights? o What kinds of taxes support the realization of human rights without discrimination? A country mobilizes funds to deliver goods, services and facilities and create an environment conducive for the realization of human rights. A country's finances are generally mobilized through taxation, profits of public enterprises, fees collected from public services, public offerings of government bonds (e.g., treasury bills and treasury bonds including retail treasury bonds), foreign aid, expansion of the money supply (e.9., printing money), and public borrowing. Deficit financing and public borrowing will be discussed in the next section; this section will focus on taxation revenues, rather than non-taxation revenues, since taxation revenues account for the bulk of the country's public revenues.t Paying taxes Paying taxes is a basic duty of all individuals and is consistent with Article 29 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.e The United Nations Human Rights Committee has said that the duty to pay tax is absolute and does not depend on the political or moral orientation of the taxpayer. (Greggi, 2009) "Paying tax is a critical part of state-building and strengthening democracy." (Christensen) Taxes are used to provide public goods and services such as schools, health centers, roads and emergency services that individuals alone cannot afford. Taxes also redistribute wealth throughout society when these are used to provide social welfare and social protection goods, services and facilities. But government's tax power is limited by the boundaries of human rights; this means taxation must have legitimate objectives, must be imposed by law that is accessible and understandable by all, and must fully respect and guarantee human rights. Underpinning the tax system are the following human rights principles: o The principle of proportionality, which links taxation to a person's ability to pay, or in other words, the tax levied upon a taxpayer is based on her/his actual economic capability; 8 ln 201 1, 88 percent of the country's revenues were programmed to be sourced from taxes; this percentage increased to 91 percent in 2012; in 2013, it is projected that 93 percent of the country's revenues will come from taxes; seeTable C.'l , "Revenue Program, By Source, 2011-2013," Department of Budget and Management, Budget of Expenditures and Sources of Financinq, FY 2013. sAlltda 29 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states: "Everyone has duties to the community in which alone the free and full development of his personality is possible." 5B