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Friday, March 29, 2024

Manila goes after negligent taxpayers

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Manila Mayor Joseph “Erap” Estrada is now going after delinquent taxpayers, whether individuals and corporations, to further increase the city’s tax revenues, after recently stopping a new round of tax increases.

Estrada directed City Treasurer Rizal Del Rosario and City Assessor engineer Jose de Juan to identify and track down “every negligent taxpayer in Manila,” and see to it that they settle their dues.

“I have ordered the City Treasurer and the City Assessor to improve collection efficiency and go after delinquent taxpayers, to ensure sufficient funds for projects and services to Manila residents,” Estrada said.

If warranted, the mayor warned Manila “may initiate legal actions” against delinquent taxpayers as provided for under the law.

“We’ll see to it that everyone pays the correct taxes,” Estrada pointed out. 

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He underscored the necessity to augment Manila’s present revenue collection to enhance the delivery of basic services and facilities to its residents.

In one of his first actions as mayor back in 2013, Estrada formed a Committee on Auction to auction off the properties of delinquent taxpayers.

A total of 66 delinquent real property owners, whose total uncollected payments amounted to P143 million, were sent urgent notices to pay their taxes. This was followed by a second batch of 99 property owners over unpaid taxes amounting to P281 million.

In an unprecedented move, Estrada approved on Jan. 23 the passage of Ordinance No. 8516 that cancelled a planned 40-percent increase in real property tax rates that was supposed to take effect this January.

He pointed out that this second-period increase “is no longer needed at this time because of the improving financial capacity of the city.”

The city government, the mayor said, has so far built up over P5 billion to its General Fund, after paying the P5.5-billion debt left by the previous administration.

With an overwhelming majority vote, the city council on January 10 voted for the freeze in tax hike, saying the city government can do without the second RPT increase because Estrada has already rescued the city from its previous financial slump.

The ordinance was authored by Councilor Anna Katrina Yupangco and co-sponsored by Committee on Ways and Means chairman, Councilor William Irwin Tieng, both from District 5.

The 40 percent RPT increase was supposed to be the continuation of the 60-percent increase that had been collected starting January 1, 2014 because of Ordinance No. 8330, the city’s new revenue code.

Before that, Yupangco said the city had been operating under a 20-year-old revenue code, and Manila was then being pressured by the Department of Finance and Commission on Audit to revise its tax code.

With the 40 percent increase set aside, Manila “will just have to continue collecting RPT using the old 2013 schedule,” the councilor said.

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