March 29, 2024

The city government will start collecting higher real property taxes next year. 
City Assessor Maria Almaya C. Adawe said they will implement next year Ordinance 16, s. 2020, which revised the schedule of market values for real property.
Adawe said Ordinance 16, s. 2020 affects only lands.
The schedule of market values for buildings under Ordinance 101, s. 1995 and the assessment levels for buildings and machineries under Tax Ordinance 2000-001 remain.
Adawe said the implementation of the increase in taxes shall be staggered over a two-year period, such that 70 percent of the increase will be applied in 2021 and 30 percent in 2022.
Under Ordinance 16, lands shall be valued according to the approved schedule of market values and assessed on the basis of actual use.
Lands used for more than one purpose shall be assessed on the basis of its principal use while recreational lots shall be assessed as commercial.
Industrial lots shall assume the value of commercial lots in the same area or its immediate vicinity and adopt the assessment levels over commercial lots.
Agricultural lots shall assume the value of commercial lots in the same area or its immediate vicinity and shall also adopt the assessment level of commercial lots.
The ordinance provides that memorial parks shall be valued based on the unit value assigned to the area where they are located and it shall be assessed as commercial and taxable under the name of the owner or developer.
However, burial lots sold and fully paid by buyers and those already used for the purpose it is intended shall be exempt.
Golf courses shall be valued based on the schedule plus development costs and shall be assessed as commercial. The easements thereat shall be appraised on the estimated cost of paving, cementing, and asphalting.
For purposes of real property taxation, the same shall be assessed based on the approved schedule.
Raw land shall be valued at 50 percent of the corresponding unit in the area. A vacant lot located in a purely residential area shall be classified, valued, and assessed as residential.
If the lot is located in a purely commercial area, it shall be classified, valued, and assessed as commercial. – PIO release