Public anger in the Philippines over the multibillion-peso flood-control scandal has reopened a debate that has simmered for years: will this finally force politicians to tackle a tax system many Filipinos see as unfair, inefficient and tilted against them?
A Senate inquiry late last year heard that politicians and local officials had worked with contractors to siphon off at least 200 billion pesos (US$3.5 billion) earmarked for flood-control projects across the country, with some structures…
