GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/27 August) – Four emerging agro-industrial municipalities in South Cotabato have surpassed their annual assessment targets for taxable real properties during the first six months of the year.
Eduardo Siason, South Cotabato provincial assessor, said the province’s consolidated assessment report showed that the municipalities of Surallah, Sto. Nino, Polomolok and T’boli have already exceeded their targeted 1.5- to 2.5-percent increase in real property assessment value for this year as of June 30.
He said Surallah, which is home to a pineapple canning plant of Dole Philippines, posted a 5.3-percent increase in its real property assessment based on its targeted 1.5-percent hike for the period.
Siason said the local government added 223 more taxable real property units with a combined assessed value of P38.6 million, increasing the total value of taxable real properties in the area to P766.3 million.
He said the palay-producing town of Sto. Niño came in next with an increase of 5.15 percent or an additional assessment value of P18.9 million from its annual target of 1.5 percent.
Siason said Polomolok, which hosts a number of multi-billion agro-industrial ventures, posted an increase of 1.98 percent or an assessment value P97 million from its initial target of 1.5 percent
while the mining town of T’boli posted an increase of 2.68 percent or an assessment value of P16.7 million more from its targeted 2.5 percent increase for the year.
“We’re quite satisfied with these initial results and right now we’re working with the assessment personnel of the six other municipalities to make sure that they meet or even surpass their targets by the end of the year,” he said.
He was referring to the municipalities of Norala, Tantangan, Tupi, Lake Sebu, Tampakan and Banga, which have yet to meet or exceed their targets.
Siason said their records showed that out of their one-percent annual targets, the local government of Tampakan only posted a 0.5-percent accomplishment followed by Tupi with 0.32 percent, Tantangan with 0.14 percent and Norala with 0.04 percent.
He said Lake Sebu only accomplished 0.06 percent while Banga posted an increase of 1.48 percent from its targeted increase of 1.5 percent.
But overall, Siason said the province already reached its target but cited that they are currently working double time to generate a significant accomplishment by the end of the year.
“I’m optimistic that these six other municipalities will rebound and reach their goals within the remaining months of the year,” he said.
Siason said that all 10 local governments of the province are still on track for the Outstanding Municipal Assessors and Treasurers awards that would be given out by the provincial government during the annual Real Property Tax Awareness Week in December.
He said they earlier launched the annual awards to recognize the dedication of local government employees and officials who have worked hard to reach their goals and motivate them to continue with their mandates. (Allen V. Estabillo/MindaNews)
