CEBU, Philippines – With a current minute workforce to audit over 25,000 examination books by next year, the Cebu City Treasurers Office plans to hire 40 Certified Public Accountants to audit their tax documents.
"We are hiring 40 CPA's to audit to examination books of account by first week of March of next year," Cebu City Treasurers Office officer-in-charge Ofelia Oliva said.
Eighteen CPAs have been interviewed, but most of the applicants asked to be assigned to the accounting department rather than the treasury.
"Wala paman silay knowledge kun mag unsa sila sa treasury," she said, "mura sila'g naa sa mga peak accounting firms, but this is the biggest accounting firm."
She is asking the city counsel to approve under Supplemental Budget no.4, a lump sum appropriation for this purpose.
"I also asked to put them as permanent item sa plantilla sa treasury aron daghan ang mo-apply kay karon gamay paman ang nag-apply," she added.
Oliva also said that schools and hospitals who have pre-existing problems with their taxes are slowly settling their obligations.
She encouraged the concerned parties to just pay their regulatory fees with penalties so that they can avoid encounter further problems with their taxes.
"They should pay starting from 2007 to 2009 nga ilang bayran sa 2010 so that by 2011 lahi nasad ila sugdan," she said.
"Walay mi palabihon as long na ila gyud bayaran ang regulatory fees with penalties pero ang business tax we condone the interest and the surcharges" she added. (FREEMAN)