The city government will be maximizing the use of the geographic information system (GIS) to improve its tax collection efficiency and achieve its target of P300 million additional income this year.
Mayor Benjamin B. Magalong said the GIS can help pinpoint businesses in the city that are not registered and without business permits and structures that have no tax declaration.
Department heads and technical personnel of the city government earlier underwent training on the use of the GIS.
Magalong said the GIS will be a comprehensive approach in helping the city government determine individuals who are not paying their tax obligations. It will also serve as database for the city’s services, programs, and projects.
The city government is also working out the enactment of ordinances allowing for the collection of environmental fee and congestion fee.
The mayor said the city is also eyeing increased collection in parking fees through a proposed ordinance authorizing the collection of parking fees in some major streets and barangay roads that will be declared for pay parking.
The use of the GIS will augment the latest information technology earlier adopted by the city government to identify undeclared structures and new constructions.
Magalong underscored the importance of increasing the tax collection of the city, which remained stagnant over the past years due to the inability of the city to enact measures that will amend outdated revenue measures upon the recommendation of the Department of Finance.
The city government did not increase its business taxes for nearly two decades now while the schedule of market values or real property taxes have not been updated for over two decades, prompting the DOF to include Baguio City in the list of local government units that have outdated revenue measures.
The Local Government Code that prescribes updating of business and real property taxes every five years. – PIO release
April 25, 2024
