Camarillo junks tax exemption proposal

City treasurer Tessie Camarillo has raised objection to the proposal of Councilor Gerardo Carillo granting full tax exemption to the two-day concert of the Bloomfields at a five-star hotel last October.

In her letter to the City Council, Camarillo said granting tax exemptions could certainly affect the city''s income.

Composed of five young students from De La Salle University and the University of the Philippines, the Bloomfields dished out the best dance tunes of the past decades during their concert at the Marco Polo Hotel last October 27 and 28 dubbed the "Barkada Party Dekada 60-90."

The group also sang the famous tunes from The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Dave Clark 5, Elvis Presley, Stylistics, Commodores, Earth, Wind and Fire, Bee Gees, Sampaguita, among others.

Although the affair was held last year, Carillo only submitted his proposed resolution for the tax exemptions last March 14, prompting the City Council to ask the opinion of the city treasurer.

But in her one-page reply to the council, Camarillo said the move to exempt the concert from the amusement tax should be denied.

"Aside from the fact that collections made from said concert had already been entered as amusement revenues for the year 2006, it is sad to note that the target of the amusement tax for that year was hardly been met," she said. - Rene U. Borromeo/LPM