Integrated system eyed for efficient tax collection

CEBU, Philippines — The Cebu City Treasurer’s Office is setting up an integrated database system for a faster and efficient control and monitoring of businesses for taxation purposes.

Through the system, the city government will work with barangays as partners in financial management. The barangays will be required to know and have detailed records of what businesses and real estate properties are within their area of jurisdiction.

The data will be consolidated in a database for a faster and accurate recording of all taxpayers. City treasurer Jerone Castillo said the system is currently being used by the local governments of Pampanga, Quezon City and Cotabato.

 “As a highly urbanized city and business (is) flourishing, we have more or less 40 thousand businesses operating within the city of Cebu, and for you to control and monitor this you really must have an integrated system,” Castillo said.

Castillo said they will start implementing the system in two pilot barangays. Banilad will be piloted for the north district while Guadalupe for the south. He said the two barangays will start the tax mapping to account all its taxpayers and share all the data collected in the integrated database system.

“Once we get this done and it works, we will use the same model for the other barangays,” he said.

The digitalization of the processing of permits is also expected to hasten the issuance of business permits.

Castillo announced that the treasurer’s office is expected to transfer to its new financial center in the second week of December, in time for the processing of the renewal of permits for next year.  FPL (FREEMAN)