BAGUIO CITY – The local legislative body approved on second and final reading and for publication a proposed ordinance providing for a tax relief for business establishments operating in the city.
The ordinance authored by all members of the local legislative body stated that pertinent provisions of the measure shall be applicable to all affected business establishments operating in the different parts of the city regardless whether the said establishments were closed during the implementation of the extended Luzonwide enhanced community quarantine.
The ordinance stipulated that the tax relief shall consist of the payment of business tax this year until November 30, 2020 without any interest or surcharges for delayed payment.
However, the local legislative body requested the city’s local finance committee to submit their recommendations on the proposed tax relief so that the same will be incorporated in the final version of the proposed measure prior to its approval on third and final reading.
Section 192 of the Local Government code of the Philippine authorized the local government through an ordinance duly approved grant tax exemptions, incentives or reliefs under such terms and conditions as it may deem necessary.
On March 16, 2020, The Office of the President through Executive Secretary Salvador C. Medialdea issued a Memorandum on the guidelines on the imposition of a Luzonwide enhanced community quarantine and stringent social distancing measures to prevent the rapid spread of the dreaded Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) 2019 which had been classified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a global pandemic.
Earlier, President Rodrigo R. Duterte signed Proclamation No. 922 declaring a state of public health emergency in the country because of the increasing number of confirmed COVID cases which was subsequently followed by the placing of the entire nation under a state of calamity to allow local governments to use available resources to provide immediate assistance to the heavily impacted sectors in their areas of jurisdiction.
The ordinances noted that the said issuances resulted to the involuntary closure of business operations of those businesses covered by the same to remain open within the duration of the quarantine period.
The ordinance added that the tax relief that will be provided by the local government to the different businesses operating in the city will be part of the city’s recovery plan to allow the affected establishments to be able to operate for the owners to start recovering from the effects of the quarantine to their supposed robust operation.
The local government imposes surcharges and penalties to owners of business establishments that are not able to pay the taxes due to the city pursuant to existing revenue measures that were previously crafted for the purpose.
The proposal will still undergo the required deliberations in the local legislative body when the same will be calendared for second reading after publication and subsequently approved on third reading putting into consideration the necessary inputs from the concerned sectors and the members of the city’s local finance committee.
By Dexter A. See