DAVAO CITY–The city government is optimistic about hitting the city’s tax collection target this year even amid the challenges posed by the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic, an official said Friday.
Lawyer Lawrence Bantiding, head of the City Treasurer’s Office (CTO), said as of September this year, the city government has collected PHP8.2 billion from local taxes, service income, business income, economic enterprise, other income, and share from the internal revenue allotment (IRA).
“To meet the City’s target collection by the end of the year, the City Treasurer’s Office and other revenue-generating offices, such as the Business Bureau, are conducting intensified monitoring to ensure compliance to the necessary permits and to collect the taxes due to the City,” Bantiding said in a statement.
The PHP8.2 billion collection, according to Bantiding, accounts for 80.2 percent of the PHP10.3 billion target collection for this year.
CTO said the decrease in service, business income, and economic enterprise was primarily due to the closure of establishments during lockdowns and movement restrictions to contained Covid-19.
Bantiding said the CTO had intensified its information dissemination on the payment deadlines for taxes and other fees, noting that the city has earlier approved a tax amnesty and relief program for businesses.
The tax relief measure applies to assessed penalties and interest on delinquent back taxes relating to real properties as of December 31, 2019 and prior years.
All accrued penalties and interest are condoned only upon settlement of RPT within six months from the effectivity of the ordinance, and businesses with RPT delinquencies can avail of the relief until January 9 next year.
“We have already collected a total of PHP27.925,174.51 from delinquencies. This will contribute to our efforts to achieve our target,” Bantiding said. (PNA)