The Bacolod City government business tax collection increased by 18.4 percent in January this year compared to the same period in 2023, Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said on Monday, February 12.
The business tax collection was P467,201,000 in January this year or 18.4 percent higher than the P394,627,000 in the same period in 2023, Benitez said during a press conference at the Mayor’s Office.
The 2024 figure is beyond the 2029 pre-pandemic level so we are way ahead, he said.
The business permit applicants were 18,839 this January compared to 16,994 in the same period last year, Benitez added.
This means an 11 percent increase in number of business establishments, he said.
One of the reasons for the increase is the city government’s intensified campaign against businesses operating without business permits, he said.
Aside from that there are 1,100 new business applications, he added.
“There is an influx of business establishments coming into Bacolod, and I hope that is because of confidence in our business environment,” he said.*