DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 05 January) — The City Government of Davao ended 2018 with some P8.55 billion in revenues collected from the local businesses, exceeding its target of P7.8 billion, City Treasurer Office Erwin Alparaque said.
Alparaque said in an interview Friday that the local government exceeded its target of P7.8 billion in tax collections for last year, following the adjustments made to the business tax rate of not more than 10% effective January 2018, increases to the rates of fiscal charges, and enhancement to the tax collection mechanism.
He said the biggest contributors to the local revenues were the business taxes valued at P1.86 billion and real property tax at P1.60 billion. Almost 40,000 businesses were registered in 2018, he said.
Davao City ended 2018 with some P8.55 billion in revenues collected from the local businesses, exceeding its target of P7.8 billion, City Treasurer Office Erwin Alparaque said. MindaNews photo by CAROLYN O. ARGUILLAS
Alparaque said they target to collect some P8.9 billion in 2019.
“We have to expand our tax base and enhance the collection efficiency of the City Government, of the City Treasurer’s Office, we already have a plan — assessment and collection strategies – that will be implemented this year,” he said.
Alparaque said they want to collect bigger revenues for 2019 “because we need funds to address all the basic needs of the constituents of the city, the necessary public services in terms of health, social services, and, of course, some infrastructure projects.”
He said they expect to increase more revenues from the real property tax collections this year as city implements the 2018 General Revision of the Real Property Assessment of the city.
“Starting January this year, we are going to implement the general revision. There was an adjustment of 30% of the assessment level. The assessed value of the real properties, land, buildings, and improvements, will be adjusted up to 30%,” Alparaque said. (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)
