The Revised Revenue Code of Bacolod City was implemented starting yesterday and is expected to generate an increase of P50 to P100 million in taxes this year, Mayor Evelio Leonardia said yesterday.

Leonardia said the increase in revenue collections is already long overdue and is timely, especially because most cities like Bacolod are facing a budget cut of at least P45 million due to the creation of 16 towns into cities.

He said that, under the law, the local government is mandated to update its revenue code every five years, but it took the City of Bacolod 18 years to update its Code, while cities in other parts of the Philippines had been updating theirs regularly.

Leonardia stressed that the Department of Interior and Local Government had advised the city to revise the revenue code of Bacolod.

The implementation of the code yesterday, however, drew mixed reactions from businessmen in Bacolod City

Ben Ortega, president of the Bacolod Filipino Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that they are not against the new revenue code so long it is within the bounds of law.

Ortega said that until now the city government has not furnished them copies of the new revenue code. He said the increase in business taxes will be passed on to the consumers.

Ortega said they may meet with the members of the Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry to make a common stand as far as the new revenue code is concerned.

MBCCI external vice president Jose Maria Zayco said they have members who may contest the legality of the new revenue code in court as some of them claimed that the increase in the revenue code was more than 10 percent, which is required by the law.

Zayco said that there was lack of consultation before the new revenue code was passed in November 2011, and the city government and the business sectors only met twice to discuss the new code.

Leonardia appealed to the businessmen to support the new revenue code because it will mean more projects for Bacolod and that part of the collection will also be utilized for the salaries of the plantilla casuals.

COME OUT

City Permits and Licensing head, Vicente Petierre yesterday urged the businessmen who claimed that the increase in business taxes was more than 10 percent to come out in the open and show proof.

Petierre said the businessmen renewing their permits were categorized and each category has corresponding rates of increases. He also belied the accusations that the city government lacked consultation and public dissemination before the revenue code was implemented.

In fact, he said, this was published in local dailies because when the revenue code was passed two years ago, some businessmen opposed it on the basis of lack of publication.

497 PERMITS PROCESSED

Petierre said that, as of yesterday, they have processed 497 business permits at the one-stop-shop at the Bacolod Government Center.

He said the processing of business permits stopped for almost two hours yesterday after the six computers they are using malfunctioned because of the new systems and the new programs they are using.

Petierre said they are now using the e-business and information system security program for the fast processing of business permits.*APN

back to top