SANTOL, La Union – Mayor Magno Wailan of this 5th class municipality of La Union and Jonafel Guzmani, the municipal treasurer, are urging residents to promptly pay their real property taxes (RPT) while those delinquents were asked to comply with the law to help fund the various education programs of the municipality which is not covered by the Department of Education.
“There are a lot of delinquent tax payers. But I told them that they should settle what is due for the municipal government because what they are paying in the municipality will be given back to them through basic services such as education for their children,” Wailan said.
The Mayor said there are some problems in the lot ownership of some of the residents, particularly in the upland barangays, which are hindrance in the payment of taxes. But Wailan said he already instructed the Assessor’s office to resolve the matter.
“I appeal to the residents and tax payers in our town to pay your obligations. The money to be collected from your payments will be returned back to you, especially to your children who need education. I want education to be priority for them,” Wailan said.
Guzmani, for her part, said proceeds of the real property tax being collected by the municipal government will be 50-percent for ‘special education’ and 50-percent for basic services.
Services under special education are the operation and maintenance of public schools, construction and repair of school buildings, facilities and equipment, educational research, purchase of books, sports development, and honoraria for local school board teachers.
Other services funded by RPT tax are programs for poverty alleviation, health, environment and infrastructure.
Guzmani said they have strengthened their collection by conducting tax campaign by personally going to the barangays.
“During barangay assemblies, we explained to them the computation of their taxes. There are already residents who updated their tax records but there are still delinquents. We go to upland barangays for our tax campaign with our records and receipt,” Guzmani said.
Guzmani said the RPT payment was started on January until March this year and for those who will comply within the period will be getting more than 10-percent discount.
“We are calling on the residents to continue paying their taxes because it is not only for the operation of our municipality but for the education of our children, particularly those funded by the special education tax, which are not provided by DepEd,’ she said.
By Dexter A. See