Quezon City's 2008 tax take breaches P10-B mark

The Quezon City government said yesterday it has posted a tax collection of more than P10 billion as of end-2008, up from the previous year’s registered collection by almost P1 billion, and apparently setting a record since no other local government unit (LGU) has breached the mark.

City Treasurer Victor Endriga said the city government raked in an “unprecedented” P10,002,552,451.31 last year despite the global financial crisis. The city government posted a tax collection of P9.067 billion in 2007 and P7.46 billion in 2006.

Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr. commended Endriga for “another fiscal first” in tax collection history during his weekly management committee meeting yesterday.

According to Endriga, the 2008 tax collection surpassed the gross collection target of P8.512 billion. He noted that the city government now has a surplus fund of almost P1.5 billion.

“Tax collection efficiency had placed the balance sheets on a high level of government functioning,” Endriga said.

Endriga pointed out that business tax collection hit more than P3.2 billion, an increase of at least P410 million from the P2.8-billion collected in 2007.

Endriga said real estate tax collection hit P1.18 billion from P1.14 billion in 2007.

Transfer taxes, community taxes, amusement taxes and other fees amounted to P674.76 million for 2008.

Endriga attributed the significant improvement in the city’s tax collection to the introduction of reforms in the structural network to correct loopholes that allowed tax cheats and city hall “misfits” to rob the city of revenues.

“Outwitting tax evaders at their game provides a cushion against a financial downturn,” Belmonte said.

Belmonte endorsed to the Department of Finance another extension of Endriga’s tenure as city treasurer.

In 2007, the Commission on Audit recognized the Quezon City government for posting a budget surplus of P282.9 million, besting other cities and towns in the country.