February 2, 2009
The Committees on Laws, Ordinances, and Ways and Means will review theimplementation of the Local Revenue Code of Bacolod City in response to complaints of some taxpayers about the increase in the new rates being imposed by the city.Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia yesterday said it is possible that it is not because of the law or ordinance itself, but it could be a question of how the rates were implementedand computed.He noted that there was a computer error at the start of its implementation whichcaused some tricycle drivers and operators to complain, but that had been correctedalready, he said.Leonardia said Councilors Dindo Ramos and Diosdado Valenzuela, who chair theCommittees on Laws and Ordinances, and Ways and Means, respectively, told him thatthey will take another look at the code.“We are listening to the complaints of the people, and will try to find a solution to it,” hesaid.Leonardia also said the SP would not have passed the Tax Ordinance without a publichearing, and at the same time, the ordinance would not be effective unless it had gonethrough a publication process.“Let us also consider that our taxes are actually behind other cities.” he also said.In fact, Bacolod City Treasurer Annabelle Badajos has noted that when she was the citytreasurer of Bago City, they realized that the tax base of Bago was higher than that of Bacolod, Leonardia said.If Iloilo had increased its taxes three times already, Bacolod has not increased in 15years, he said.Badajos said Bacolod only implemented a 10 percent increase in its taxes since it hadnot revised or updated its Local Revenue Code since 1993.Once every five years, local government units should adjust their rates by not more than10 percent, based on the LRC, she said.If they had complied with what the law mandated, maybe this time, the city could haveadjusted its taxes three times already, she said.But since it did not update its LRC since 1993, they only implemented recently theincrease of 10 percent as mandated by law
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