Batac council oks new revenue code

By Dominic B. Dela Cruz

Staff reporter

Batac City—The Sangguniang Panlungsod here has approved a new revenue code but only after two councilors and Batac vice mayor and council presiding officer Ronald Allan M. Nalupta withdrew their authorship for the measure.

The three councilor who withdrew their authorship are councilors Elmer Pungtilan, Avelard Ibarra Crisostomo and Gwynet Quidang.

Mr. Pungtilan and Mr. Crisostomo said they stand by the election campaign promise of the late former Batac mayor Jesus R. Nalupta Sr. who said that there would be no increase in taxes.

According to Mr. Crisostomo, the late former mayor vowed not to increase taxes in the city during their campaign sorties in the last elections as this will be an additional burden to the people of Batac.

He added that the late mayor stressed that the 200% increase in Batac’s internal revenue allotment share after its conversion into a city should be enough for the city’s improvements and developments. Batac’s IRA share increased to P300 million after its conversion from its P100 share when it was still a municipality.

“Ngem siyak appo, takderak dagidi insasao mi kada Lakay Jesus a no mabalin awan iti pinag ngato iti taxes. Uray kuma man nangipasa kam iti revenue code ngem as is kuma dagidi municipality charges, fees and taxes tapnu saan tayo kuma a marigatan,” Mr. Crisostomo explained.

Mr. Pungtilan, who was still then a barangay chairperson when Batac was converted into a city, said the fear of the people then was, if Batac becomes a city, increase in taxes, fees and charges would follow but the former mayor promised that no increase in taxes would happen to Batac if it becomes a city.

Mr. Pungtilan stressed that the fear of higher taxes were one of the reasons Batac residents did not was to vote for the conversion of Batac into a city then.

Mr. Crisostomo and Mr. Pungtilan however still voted for the passage of the measure as it is mandated by law that local government units allows an increase in local taxes every five years. They manifested though that their names be excluded as authors of the measure.

Ms. Quidang also requested the removal of her name as one of the authors through a formal letter addressed to the presiding officer. She said she had not extended any help in formulating the ordinance and it would be unfair to those who prepared the measure.

Ms. Quidang added that although she was not in favor of the increase in taxes, she relented after a lengthy bargaining that decreased the increase in the measure.

Meanwhile, Batac councilor Violeta Daradar-Nalupta also confirmed that there was a promise not to increase local taxes before but due to the mandate of the law, they needed to adjust tax measures every five years. She added that she voted for the measure after making sure that the increase would be manageable.

The main author of the ordinance, councilor Florencio Laud thanked his fellow councilors who voted for the measure stressing that it was about time to adjust the local revenue code. The local revenue code was last amended in 1997.

Mr. Laud also said he respected the decision of the three councilors who withdrew their names as co-authors but still thanked them for favoring for its approval.

Mr. Laud assured that the increases particularly in the business sector was based from data provided by the Department of Finance (DOF).   

He stated further that the revenue code of a municipality is different from that of a city.

The Batac vice mayor, for his part, also asked that his name be excluded as co-author as he also did not do anything in the formulation of the measure.

He said the only learned about the new revenue code after a public hearing was set. He then requested the local finance committee members to shed light on the proposal.

He related that during the deliberations, the proposed 2% increase in real property tax was decreased to 1.5%. The deliberations also produced a 20% discount to be given to those who will pay real estate taxes not later than Dec. 31 in its first three years of implementation.

However, the vice mayor said the increase in fees and charges for the mayor’s permit was big.

“Dagita ibagbaga da a nababa laeng ket allilaw dayta appo ta awan met mabalin mi ta pumasa met latta dagitoy gapu ta they have the numbers. Ngem inggana iti kaya mi lalo dakami nga adda concerns na kadagiti umili ket ar-aramiden mi amin iti kabaelan mi,” Mr. Nalupta added.

He said that the implementation of the new revenue code would only begin after the review and final approval of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan and the governor.

In an earlier interview with Batac mayor Jeffrey Jubal Nalupta, the approval of the city’s new revenue code and the market and slaughterhouse are the issues the local finance committee has been waiting for in order to formally formulate the city’s annual budget next year because this will be the basis on its computation of the proposed budget.