Hiring Of Tax Mappers: Council to meet employees prior to approval

CEBU, Philippines - The Mandaue City Council has deferred the hiring of seven additional tax mappers whose main task includes assessing all business establishments operating in the city.

Mayor Gabriel Luigi Quisumbing, upon the recommendation of city treasurer Regal Oliva, earlier endorsed to the City Council the approval of the hiring of business tax mappers that would have served the city from January to June 2017.

Vice Mayor Carlo Fortuna, however, clarified that the council will not object to the request of the mayor but they “just want to meet them and inquire about their work and capabilities."

Fortuna said they already sent invitation to the seven tax mappers, namely; ? Elmer J. Bueno - Tax Mapper IV; Joselito P. Abala - Tax Mapper III; Vincent Nichole A. Batiquin - Tax Mapper III; Juliette A. Calonsag - Tax Mapper III; Mary Louise N. Lamayo - Tax Mapper III; Gaston Rey Y. Torres - Tax Mapper III and Winston R. Villardar - Tax Mapper III.

If the council approves the recommendation, the city is expected to shell out P1.5-million for the salaries of the tax mappers.

Ida Eco, who heads the city’s business tax and fees division, said that it is imperative that the city government conduct a massive tax mapping of those business establishments operating in the city in order for them to know the right taxes due the government.

"It is important that the city government hire these people who are trained for this task and had enough experience in dealing with this in line of work," Eco said.

Among the tasks of the mappers will reconcile the actual number of business establishments based on their record against those actual establishments in the field. —/GAN (FREEMAN)