BAGUIO CITY – The city legislative body approved on second reading after publication, an ordinance approving and adopting the revised schedule of market values for land in the city replacing the antiquated schedule of market values that was last revised in 1996.
The ordinance authored by all members of the city legislative body states the implementation of the increase in real property taxes for land shall be staggered over a period of 2 years such that 70 percent will be applied during the first year and the remaining 30 percent will be applied during the second year. Under the approved ordinance the assessment level for residential and agricultural land will be fixed at 2 percent while the assessment level of commercial, industrial, mineral and special classes of lands will be pegged at 7 percent.
In case a specific property could not be valued, classified or assessed using the approved schedule of market values, the City Assessor will be authorized to value, classify and assess the real property independently applying laws, rules and regulations pertinent to the appraisal and assessment of the property.
The ordinance requires that lands shall be valued according to the approved schedule of market values and assessed on the basis of its actual use and the improvement thereon.
Further, the ordinance explains that a parcel of land used for more than one purpose such as residential and commercial shall be assessed on the basis of its predominant use and that recreational lots shall be assessed as commercial.
Further, industrial lots shall assume the value of commercial lots in the same area or its immediate vicinity and shall also adopt the assessment level for commercial lots.
On the other hand, agricultural lots shall assume the value of residential lots in the same area or its immediate vicinity and shall also adopt the assessment level for residential lots.
Section 219 of Republic Act No. 7160, otherwise known as the Local Government Code of the Philippines, provides that the provincial, city or municipal assessor shall undertake the general revision of real property assessments within 2 years after the effectivity of the Code and every 3 years thereafter.
However, no general revision was undertaken by the city government since 1996 after the implementation of Ordinance No. 101, series of 1995, which approved the schedule of fair market values for lands, buildings, machineries, plants and trees in the city, fixing the assessment levels to be applied thereto and providing for a staggered implementation of the increase in real property taxes.
Earlier, the City Mayor re-submitted to the city legislative body for information and appropriate action the proposed schedule of market values submitted by City Assessor Maria Almaya C. Addawe.
OIC-Regional Director Ma. Florizelda A. Enriquez of the Cordillera office of the Bureau of Local Government Finance (BLGF-CAR) certified that the proposed schedule of market values for land in Baguio City as submitted by the City Assessor’s Office complied with local assessment regulations or the manual on real property appraisal and assessment operations as contained in her certification.
By Dexter A. See
