Due to low tax collection Osmeña wants acting city treasurer out

CEBU, Philippines – Mayor Tomas Osmeña wants acting city treasurer Renee Empaces immediately relieved from her post because of low performance in tax collection.

Aside from being the acting city treasurer, Empaces is also the concurrent regional director of the Bureau of Local Government-Finance (BLGF) in Central Visayas.

Empaces has proudly announced that the city’s revenue collection from January to April 30 this year had reached to P1,486,482,530 or more than P450.4 million compared to only P1,036,001,620 collection during the same period last year.

She assumed acting city treasurer effective on July 15, 2008 after Osmeña asked the BLGF officials to replace then acting city treasurer Tessie Camarillo.

Although the city treasurer gets her salary from the local government units where he or she is assigned, it is the BLGF officials who appoint them to the position and the mayors are just given the chance to recommend.

Osmeña said he will ask the BLGF officials to scout for the next city treasurer from “outside,” meaning those who are not yet members of the BLGF.

Empaces have two assistant city treasurers, for administration and revenue operations— Emma C. Villarete and Tessie Camarillo, who are qualified to assume the post. Villarete is the wife of city planning and development officer Nigel Paul Villarete.

Osmeña was not satisfied of the performance of Empaces, saying the city’s revenue for the first four months of this year had increased because of the sales from the lots in South Road Properties and the increase of the Internal Revenue Allotment.

Empaces managed to have a P29 million increase in the revenue collection from business taxes making it increase to P446.5 million for the first four months compared to the last year’s only P417.4 million.

But the city’s revenue from the terminal operations went down from last year’s P507,811 to P487,822.

The city treasurer’s job is to increase revenues by enforcing the applicable tax ordinances, but it was observed that there are still many business establishments in the city that do not have permits that are not paying taxes.

Empaces chose not to make a comment about the remarks of the mayor, saying if Osmeña no longer want her to be the city treasurer, she will just return to her original post at the BLGF regional office.

A source from the city treasurer’s office briefed The Freeman of the possible reason why some of the city’s tax ordinances are not strictly implemented.

“Kuwang g’yod mi og mga inspectors. Mga napulo ra man tingali ni ang among inspectors ug ang rehistradong mga business establishments sa Cebu City moabot og 25,000 wala pa’y labot sa mga wala marehistro. Dili tingali nila maato,” she said.

For instance, the city can collect P6,000 a year from establishments situated within 100 meters away from the hospitals, schools, public plaza and churches if they sell liquor and beverages.

But due to the lax of enforcement, even an establishment near the Basilica del Santo Niño managed to sell beer. The store is just a stone-throw from the church and a walking distance from City Hall. — Rene U. Borromeo/WAB (THE FREEMAN)