ABSTRACT
In the Philippines, Undersecretary Orlando R. Ravanera, Chairman of the Cooperative Development Authority, declared that since the founding of the Rochdale Cooperative in England in 1884, different countries have adopted this cooperative form of organization that has resulted in significant economic gains and social development. Findings in this research could offer policy makers, especially those in the Philippine Congress, insights on the importance of cooperatives as partners in community and nation-building by different governments across the globe. [...]to appreciate the role of cooperatives to the Philippine economy, especially during this COVID 19 pandemic, the two provisions in the Philippine Cooperative Code of 2008 that provide for the tax exemption and tax treatment of cooperatives are hopefully not repealed. 2. [...]some countries allow agricultural cooperatives to enjoy tax exemptions and tax holidays so that these organizations can continue their role in addressing poverty, securing food production and boost economic growth (Kireyeva, 2016) as a whole. The cooperatives' not-for-profit nature is a justification for tax advantages in some countries, however in Western agri-food systems agricultural cooperatives face the challenge of inevitably competing with investor-owned businesses where they are at a bind between raising capital and conserving their basic governance (Tortia, Valentinov and Iliopoulos, 2013).