Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia gave the order during her meeting with the municipal assessors at the Capitol Social Hall on Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023.
“This is my last warning. Kindly review the appraised value of all commercial establishments in each of your municipalities and see to it nga kung kinahanglan i-correct, i-correct (that if it needs to be corrected, it is corrected),” Garcia said through Sugbo News, Capitol’s social media arm.
Garcia expressed dismay over the alleged incorrect estimation of the real estate’s worth.
The governor cited as an example a lot in Cebu used as a golf course but declared by its owners as a farm to avoid paying higher income tax.
“We have a great obligation to the Cebuanos to make sure that they would not lose money when taxes are paid, because the taxes paid are what we will spend so we can add to the programs and services for the Cebuanos. We could add more benefits for the Cebuanos,” she said in Cebuano.
Task force
Governor Garcia had earlier created a task force in every municipality for a stricter assessment of real estate properties, including the improvements made in the establishments.
The task force is composed of a representative of the mayor, municipal assessor, municipal treasurer and a municipal engineer.
According to Section 232 of Republic Act 7160 or the Local Government Code of 1991, the province, city and municipality may require owners of real properties, including lots, commercial establishments and its improvements and machineries, among others, to pay taxes based on the assessed value.
In line with this, the Capitol can get a 35 percent share of the real property taxes. The municipality would get a 40 percent share while the barangay would get a 25 percent share. (ANV / TPT)