The Negros Occidental Sangguniang Panlalawigan is exploring a win-win tax relief measure for delinquent taxpayers and the provincial government, Board Member Rommel Debulgado, SP Committee on Finance chair, said today, February 2.
The Committee on Finance is drafting an ordinance that will ease the terms of payment of landowners who owe the provincial government P2.8 billion in real property tax (RPT) and penalties that have been worsened by the economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, he said.
But at the same time we also need to be fair to the government that also needs revenues to deliver basic services, he said.
The ordinance will cover the RPT in municipalities, it will not include component cities, he said.
He said 35 percent of the RPT collection goes to the provincial government, 45 percent to the town, and 20 percent to the barangay where the property is located.
There are aiming for the tax relief measure to take effect by the second quarter of this year, Debulgado said.
It is being proposed that those who have RPT delinquencies will be given the chance to enter compromise agreements with the Provincial Treasurer’s Office. Upon entering into compromise agreements the landowners must pay 20 percent of their delinquency, with the remaining 80 percent to be paid in two years with no interest, he said.*