Parañaque passes new tax ordinance

The Parañaque City council has passed a new ordinance requiring owners or administrators of real estate properties to submit an annual sworn declaration of all the properties they are renting out.

The city government “is having difficulty in assessing and collecting the lessor’s tax… simply because of the failure or refusal of real property owners and administrators to declare their properties or portions of their properties as leased,” city council majority floor leader Giovanni Esplana, the principal author of the new measure, said.

The ordinance states that within the first 20 days of the year, property owners or administrators must submit the annual declarations to the city treasurer through the barangay captain of the area where the property is located, as well as a copy of the contract of lease.

The declarations must specify the monthly rent and area or the number of units being rented or leased. – Michael Punongbayan