BAGUIO CITY – The city Treasury Office announced it collected more than P319 million in taxes paid by taxpayers for the first twenty eight days of the current year, P6 million higher compared to its collections during the same period last year.
City treasurer Alex Cabarrubias said bulk of the collected taxes amounting to P115 million represent business taxes paid by businesses while other taxies due to the local government account for the rest of the amount.
Last year, the city treasury office collected more than P280 million in business taxes, higher compared to the projected target business tax collection of P265 million while its target business tax collection for this year is pegged at P290 million.
Cabarrubias disclosed there is a continuous influx of taxpayers to the city treasury office since the start of the year that is why the local government was able to collect more than 25 percent of its projected over P1.2 billion in internally generated revenue just for the first 28 days of the year.
“We are keeping our fingers crossed we will meet our target collection this year for the local government to sustain the implementation of its priority development projects and improve the delivery of basic services to the people. We have to understand that taxes is the lifeblood of the government to be able to fulfil its obligation to the people,” Cabarrubias stressed.
The city treasurer pointed out taxpayers must avail of the attractive discounts offered by the local government where those pay their real property taxes in February will be entitled to a 15 percent discount while those who will settle their real property taxes by the end of March will still be entitled to a 10 percent discount if their taxes due will be paid in full.
For individuals and groups engaged in business, those with names ending in I to P can still process the issuance of their permits until the end of February without being imposed the necessary surcharges and penalties while those with names ending in Q to Z will be allowed to process their permits until March 20 this year.
For owners of businesses with names ending in A to H, they were already allowed to process their permits without surcharges and penalties for the whole month of January, thus, those processing their permits this month will be imposed the appropriate penalties and surcharges.
He called on real property and business taxpayers to settle their taxes with the local government the soonest to avoid being imposed the appropriate surcharges and penalties so that they can use their funds for other productive purposes instead of being used to settle their unnecessary obligation with the city because of failing to pay their taxes on time.
Cabarrubias said officials and personnel of the city treasury office are always ready to assist taxpayers wanting to seek clarification on the taxes they are supposed to pay as the local government’s tax collection system is already computerized with lesser manual intervention thus its tax collection efficiency continues to improve through the years for the convenience of people visiting their office to settle the taxes.
By Dexter A. See
Banner photo by: Armando M. Bolislis
