Baguio properties’ tax amnesty approved
>> Saturday, February 18, 2017
By Dexter A. See
BAGUIO
CITY – The city council recently approved on final reading an ordinance
granting a one-time six-month tax amnesty to give chance to real property
taxpayers with penalties, fines, surcharges, interests or arrears to pay their
real property tax dues which have become long overdue and providing for other
purposes.
The
ordinance authored by Vice Mayor Edison R. Bilog and Councilors Leandro B.
Yangot, Jr. Peter Fianza and Elmer Datuin stated the real property tax amnesty
shall be applicable to delinquent taxpayers as of December 31, 2015, and it
shall include those properties which are undeclared and subject to taxes; those
properties which are declared but the real property taxes have not yet been
paid; those properties included in auctions conducted by the local government
but have not yet been purchased by private persons or entities; property owners
with pending cases in the court whose ownership are in question and properties
sold through public auctions whose ownership has not been officially
transferred due to non-issuance of final deed of sale by the local government.
The
ordinance added the prescribed period for the real property tax amnesty or tax
relief shall be for a period of six months and shall take effect 30 days from
its approval and publication.
Under
the ordinance, all fines, surcharges, interests or arrears, if any, shall be
condoned only upon settlement of real property taxes if paid within the
prescribed period; payments of real property tax under the ordinance shall be
made either in cash or installment basis, provided that, it will be paid during
the amnesty period as fixed and applied as of December 31, 2013; only after the
said delinquencies are settled may tax payments be credited to the current
period and no further tax amnesty shall be granted after the expiration of the
6-month tax amnesty period.
The
ordinance stipulated no public auction of real properties due to non-payment of
tax delinquencies will be held and initiated by the local government during the
amnesty period while real properties with delinquent taxes attached after the
expiration of the amnesty period shall be offered for sale at public auction to
the highest bidder for the sole purpose of satisfying payment of accumulated
delinquencies with the corresponding penalties, arrearages, surcharges and
interests pursuant to existing laws or ordinances.
It
added application for amnesty under the ordinance shall be filed with the City
Treasury Office on a prescribed form to be issued by the same office while the
CTO shall also be in charge of the preparation and processing of any compromise
agreement together with the corresponding related documents by and between the
taxpayers and the City Mayor for and on behalf of the local government.
The
ordinance stated any breach of the compromise agreement and the payments under
installment basis or should any installment not paid on its due date, the total
unpaid balance of the delinquent rel property taxes and the entire amount of
penalties shall become automatically due and demandable and shall be enforced
in accordance with law.
Proponents
said taxes are the lifeblood of the government and without revenue raised from
taxation, the government will hardly be able to fulfill its mandate and will be
paralyzed for lack of motive power to activate and operate it.
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