BONTOC, Mountain Province -- Local government units should streamline their business permit and licensing system as one way of enticing investors to put up business in their localities.
This was stressed by Cordillera Department of Trade and Industry assistant regional director Carmelita Usman during recent orientation of the BPLS attended by representatives from the 10 municipal towns of the province, provincial government and partner agencies.
Usman said streamlining the BPLS will reduce the cost of doing business by cutting down steps in securing business permits, reducing the processing time, bringing down the number of signatories, and the adoption of a unified application form.
Usman told the LGU representatives that a simplified and client friendly permit and licensing system attract more investors which would translate to hasten economic growth as well as generate job opportunities in the localities.
On the other hand, LGUs with tedious and burdensome permit and licensing processes would encourage businessmen to go unregistered which would result to loss of revenues for the local government unit, Usman explained.
Based on a joint Memorandum Circular signed by Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse M. Robredo and Trade and Industry Secretary Gregory Domingo, the streamlined BPLS should use a single unified form and follow the five easy steps in processing application for new business permits or for business renewals and for the process/flowcharts be posted in strategic locations in the LGUs’ Business One-Stop Shop.
The five steps in applying for new business permits or business renewals are the following: securing an application form from the LGU, filing or submission of the accomplished application with attached documentary requirements, one-time assessment of taxes, fees and charges, one-time payment of taxes, fees and charges, and securing the mayor’s permit upon submission of official receipt as proof of payment of taxes, fees and charges imposed by the LGU.
With the Philippines ranked a dismal 148th out of 183 economies surveyed in terms of ease of doing business, President Benigno Aquino III in his 2010 State of the Nation Address urged the LGU to follow what the national government started in streamlining the processes to making business start-ups easier and stress-free.
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