Capitol has yet to collect P668M in property taxes

By: Gerome Dalipe

THE Iloilo Provincial Treasurer’s Office has yet to collect some P668.16 million in real property taxes.

The amount includes the total taxes on real property and penalties that remain uncollected from delinquent taxpayers in the Province for 2018, according to Provincial Treasurer Fatima Bayona.

Of the amount, the total tax penalty for delinquent taxpayers as of June 2019 reached P178 million.

In a bid to effectively collect the taxes, Bayona asked the Iloilo Provincial Board to pass a resolution granting tax amnesty to all delinquent taxpayers in the Province.

The proposed resolution granting tax relief to delinquent real property taxpayers was passed on first reading before the committee on ways and means.

During the committee hearing, the provincial treasurer informed the board members about the inquiries made by several taxpayers following the declaration of a state of calamity caused by the drought season.

The treasurer said the tax amnesties have been granted in previous years to reduce the tax liabilities of the taxpayers affected by the calamity.

Likewise, the treasurer’s office said the tax amnesty aims at the cleansing of office records of past due accounts, reduce foreclosures, and prevent tedious processes of foreclosure sales.

Thus, the Provincial Board members agreed in principle to extend the tax settlement until six months.

Once the proposal is granted, the provincial treasurer said they need to actively disseminate such information to various municipalities.

The treasurer’s office hopes to collect revenues and minimize delinquencies in real property taxes.

The towns with delinquent taxpayers include Dingle, Iloilo with P69.16 million in unpaid real property taxes, followed by Miag-ao, which posted P47.95 million in uncollected taxes.

The other top towns with unremitted taxes were Oton with P39.29 million; Dumangas, (P33.50 million); Pototan P29.89 million; Janiuay, (P28.59 million); Pavia, P27.48 million; Lambunao, (P21.17 million); Leon, (21.09 million;), and Barotac Viejo, (P20.80 million).

The Provincial Government can sell in public auction the assets owned by landowners who failed to pay their real property taxes.