TACLOBAN CITY- An 8% increase in revenue collection was noted by the City Treasurer’s Office (CTO) during the first week of business and real property tax payment and renewal.
City Treasurer Zosima Cordaño said this is significant since the city government under Mayor Cristina G. Romualdez is aggressively inviting more business locators to the city.
In the past five days, the CTO has already collected more than P 11 million, compared to P10, 850.664.55 collected from the same period last year or an increase of about P883,000.
It has so far issued 179 business permits and renewed 412 business applications.
According Cordaño, local business operators will have until January 20, 2017 to renew their business permits and licenses per City Revenue Ordinance 99-58 or be penalized with a 25 percent surcharge and a 2 percent interest per month.
She encouraged real property owners to avail of the 20 percent maximum discount by settling their tax payments on or before January 31.
The city treasurer disclosed that, as part of the revenue generation initiatives of Mayor Romualdez, they have come up with innovations that would give taxpayers more ease in paying their taxes at the Kanhuraw Business Center; this is aside from the extended payment hours which last until 8 pm.
Cordaño said assessment and payment of real property taxes can now be had in one location, while business renewal have been streamlined into three steps.
Queuing taxpayers are given forms to fill out in advance so when the time comes for them to pay at the cashier, they just have to give the paper to the teller.
Five tellers are serving taxpayers at the business center while additional collectors have been drafted to bring ease to taxpayers.
Bookkeepers are given a different schedule to process their payments so as not to compete with walk-in clients.
The CTO hopes to meet its revenue collection target of more than P1 billion for 2017.Last year, it posted a 97% collection rate.
(HENRY JAMES G. ROCA/CIO)
