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Bacolod City, PhilippinesThursday, March 1, 2012
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Bacolod SP extends deadline
for taxes, licenses payments

The Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod approved yesterday the request ofFrank Carbon, president of the Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry, to extend the deadline of the first quarter payment of city taxes and licenses for the year 2012 until March 31, 2012.

Councilor Caesar Distrito, Em Legaspi Ang and Roberto Rojas sponsored the approval of the request.

Carbon wrote Mayor Evelio Leonardia on February 28, 2012 requesting for an extension of the deadline, which the mayor endorsed.

He said they are still negotiating with the city to reduce the rates in the 2011 New Tax Code a little. Since it has not yet been reduced, entrepreneurs are requesting if they can be given time to accumulate some amount to pay their taxes to avoid being imposed a 25 percent surcharge, he added.

Distrito said this will be the last time that the deadline for payment of taxes will be extended, and this will benefit the business establishments in Bacolod City.

“The extension of the deadline for payment of local business tax is our way of helping our local businessmen so they do not incurpenalties and for them to avail of 10 percent discount for early payment,” he said.

Carbon said the city is ready to discuss with them its counter-proposal to their position that the increase in taxes should only be 10 percent from last year’s tax rates.

This was their position in the appeal they filed before the Department of Justice, he said. “Our interpretation of the law is that the increase should only be 10 percent,”he added.

Carbon said they filed their appeal last week of January and the DOJ has to act on it within 60 days. Hopefully, by the end of the month they have something concrete already, so the DOJ will not have to act anymore, he said.

“If we can agree on the rate and find a win-win solution for both the city and the businessmen, we might withdraw our appeal filed before the DOJ,” Carbon said.

Meanwhile, San Miguel Foods Inc.- Poultry business raised before the SP the barangay clearance fee for business permit levied on them by Barangay Villamonte, where their business is located, saying they find it excessive.

SMFI regional finance officer Jee Dorothy Marie Pepito, in her letter dated February 25, 2012 to the SP, said that in 2011, they only paid a clearance fee of P80. This year, they are being assessed to pay P10,000 based on Revised Revenue Ordinance No. 5, she said.

Pepito said that, based on their initial inquiry, the barangay ordinance has not reached the SP for ratification. :”As we understand, an ordinance still cannot be implemented unless ratified by the SP,” she said.

Theyalready paid their business taxes on January 19, 2012, and they only need a barangay clearance to complete their application for a Mayor’s permit, she added.*CGS

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