Parañaque revenue collection up 45%

Parañaque City has posted a revenue collection of P602.1 million in the first three months of 2006, a 45 percent increase from numbers posted in the same period last year.

The P188 million increase translates to the best first quarter performance in l0 years.

In a consolidated report submitted to Mayor Florencio Bernabe, OIC treasurer Jesusa Cuneta reported that all four revenue-generating sources of the local government registered substantial first quarter collection increases over the same period last year.

The Business Permits and Licensing Office (BPLO) reported an increase of 56 percent; Market Administrator’s Office, 56 percent; Land Tax Office, 37 percent; and the Treasury Division, 24 percent.

Cuneta said that among the measures she instituted to improve collection of property and business taxes were the continuous city-wide tax mapping of business establishments in all 16 barangays of the city and intensified property tax collection with particular focus on delinquent taxpayers.

She also created a task force whose members have been authorized to open and examine the books of account of any or all of the more than 10,000 businesses operating in the city.

"We also implemented a check-and-balance procedure in which computation of amounts to be paid by businesses renewing their permits or licenses to operate shall be subject to review and verification by the Treasurer’s Office," Cuneta said. — Rhodina Villanueva