Treñas asks SP to defer increase in real property taxes
City Mayor Jerry Treñas requested the Sangguniang Panlungsod to defer the enactment of the proposed increase in the real property taxes which is supposed to take effect next year.
He asked the legislative body to maintain the 2006 schedule of values for real property taxes considering the impact of the flood brought by Typhoon Frank to city residents.
The deferment of the increase in real property taxes will mean a big help among the residents especially those affected by flood, Treñas said.
The move was also in response to the appeal of the Iloilo Economic Development Foundation Inc. headed by businessman Rex Drilon II to postpone the increase in real property taxes in Iloilo City meantime property owners are rearing to recover from the destruction caused by Typhoon Frank.
Treñas said city residents must be given a relief of at least one year to recoup their losses and rehabilitate whatever destruction they had in terms of property.
Hundreds of houses were destroyed by flash flood in the city. The destruction was more on the private properties and not on government infrastructures. Real property owners especially in different subdivisions in Jaro district are not spared by the raging flash floods.
According to City Assessor Nelson Parreño, the new base schedule on real property taxes and base unit of construction materials of buildings will take effect by January 2010, or one year behind the scheduled implementation, if the legislative council approves the mayor's request.
The proposed schedule of new real property taxes takes effect every three years. The last increase in real property taxes was in 2006, said Parreño.