For failing to secure permits: City Hall padlocks more businesses

CEBU, Philippines – Five more establishments in Cebu City were closed by the City Hall personnel yesterday for operating without permits and Mayor Tomas Osmeña warned those, whose owners are not paying taxes, that they will be the next.

City Hall personnel headed by Mark Morelos of the Squatters Prevention Encroachment Elimination Division (Speed) padlocked the VF Rosevic Enterprises in barangay T. Padilla; Nautilus Transport in barangay Basak-Pardo; Bantayan Express; Leytenian Barbecue; and Lito & Mercy Barbecue all in Fuente Osmeña.

There was no resistance from the concerned businessmen when the City Hall personnel closed their establishments upon the order of the mayor with a warning not to reopen their businesses until after they can settle their tax and documentary requirements.

Nanette Solon-Sungahid, head of the City Hall’s tax mapping team, said Osmeña had issued several closure orders against business establishments that are operating without the required permits, meaning they are also not paying taxes to the city.

Osmeña also padlocked 168 Hypermart along V. Rama Avenue last Monday for the same violation.

Acting city treasurer Renee Empaces advised all businessmen that their permits and other clearances must be displayed within their premises, otherwise it will be a ground for revocation of said permits.

Some businessmen only display machine copies of their permits, which Empaces explained, does not comply with the requirement that the original must be displayed.

Based on statistics, the city said that three or every four establishments that were tax mapped had no business permit and has not paid taxes to the city.

Once the tax mappers will find out that an establishment does not have a permit, they will require them to secure the needed permits and clearances and will recommend for closure if the owners would fail to comply.

Osmeña recently announced that he was not satisfied with the collection performance of Empaces that is why he will ask the officials of the Bureau of Local Government-Finance to replace her.

Empaces said that the revenue collection for the period January to April 30 had reached to P1,486,482,530 or P450 million higher compared to the city’s revenue collection of P1,036,001,620 for the same period last year.

But despite of the increase in revenues of the city, Osmeña is still not satisfied because he said the reason of the increase is the sale of the city’s lot at the South Road Properties and the increase of the city’s share from the Internal Revenue Allotment.

The mayor said if the city treasurer is really serious in collecting from any taxable source, the city’s revenue can even double.

The tax mapping operation in Cebu City — conducted by joint personnel from the various department of City Hall — is the checking for tax payments of taxes and to identify which of the establishments are operating without the valid permits. –/NLQ (THE FREEMAN)