AFTER 10 YEARS

PROPERTY owners of Dagupan City are bracing for the 25 – 30 percent hike in real property taxes (RPT) next year as the city government is bent on implementing the increase in 2017.

Mayor Belen Fernandez clarified that the last increase in RPT was 10 years ago (2006) although the law mandates that Local Government Units are mandated to increase taxes on real properties every four years.

She said when she took over as mayor in 2013, she did not increase taxes but instead maximized tax collections which resulted in increased revenues for the city coffer that provided funds to support city programs and projects.

“We have already reached our peak in our tax collections,” said Fernandez who expressed hope that the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) will conduct public hearings by January and pass the measure right after.

Some city councilors already agreed to support the measure seeking to increase RPT in the city, she added.

She said the increase in RPT is needed to help fund next year’s budget in the amount of P858 million, which is P90 million higher than 2016.

Meanwhile, Fernandez said while the plan submitted by Shoe Mart (SM) on its lot at M.H. del Pilar Street has already been approved by the city government, she is considering the inclusion of a bus terminal integrated into the SM project to address the expected traffic bottlenecks in Dagupan’s central business district.

The entry of SM in Dagupan City to be located at the old Pantranco terminal, was facilitated by members of the Dagupan City Investment and Development Board.

The mayor said SM will be a big boon to the economy of the city aside from creating jobs for unemployed Dagupan residents. (Leonardo Micua)

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