PARTYLIST Abono is determined to go to court to question the general revision of real property tax assessment schedule in Pangasinan which took effect this year.

Rosendo So, founding chairman of Abono, said all avenues for a dialogue with the provincial government has been exhausted leaving his group no other alternative but to elevate the issue to the court.

“We have no other alternative but to proceed with the class suit,” said So upon learning that the provincial government has no plan to postpone or reduce the updated tax assessment.

So said he will file the case with the Regional Trial Court right after he pays his own real property which he said will do in protest to give him cause of legal action and comply with the requirement of law.

Speaking at the Meet the Press Forum of the Pangasinan Tri-Media (Patrima) on Tuesday, So stressed that the case will be filed in behalf of farmers which Abono represents in the House of Representatives.

Abono is the umbrella organization of farmers, including fishermen, throughout the province of Pangasinan.

He also expects real estate developers and brokers, and other groups that have also expressed opposition to the abrupt increase in RPT assessment to follow suit.

So belied a claim made earlier by Provincial Assessor Nestor Quiambao that the increase in RPT assessment for irrigated land was only 100 percent and not 300 to 900 percent.

FACE-OFF

Quiambao, who was also present during the forum, stood firm on his position stressing that the values he had recommended to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan and which it approved on December 10, 2010  “are still very, very low”.

“For instance, under the former schedule, there was an assessment of P1.20 per square meter which was increased to just P6.50 per square meter,” he said, adding that these values are still obsolete and unrealistic as compared to those in other places.

“I will not believe that the lowest zonal valuation of the BIR for riceland is P50. The lowest is P30. Subukin nating magpa-compute. Magre-resign ako kung bababa ng P30,” Quiambao defended.

So cited as an example Mabini town where the RPT assessment in irrigated rice land was increased by 220 percent and 300 percent in un-irrigated areas.

The real property tax assessment in the commercial areas, he added, increased from 500 to 800 percent.

On the other hand, the assessment in all residential areas, including the places where farmers built their houses, increased by 300 to 400 percent.

Meanwhile, Atty. Gonzalo Duque, president of Lyceum-Northwestern University and Pangasinan Press Club president, could not contain his anger at Quiambao after the latter admitted during the forum that the values reflected in land sales which pass through his office do not reflect the actual value for the buyer to evade payment of actual capital gains tax.

He warned Quiambao to be more circumspect with his statement which appeared to be incriminating himself as having a hand in downgrading values of real properties being sold.

So clarified that he is taking issue with the fact that the revised RPT assessment schedule was based on the new zonal valuation of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) although the same is still not being used as these need the approval of the Secretary of Finance.

Others present during the forum were Oftociano Manalo, president of the Pangaskinan Irrigators Service Association, officials of the real estate brokers association as well as real estate developers association.—LM

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