QC pays tribute to top taxpayers

Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr. and the Quezon City Chamber of Commerce and Industry (QCCCI) paid tribute the other night to the city’s top taxpayers, citing their significant role in transforming the city into one of the richest local government units in the country.

In a simple ceremony held during the chamber’s 43rd anniversary celebration at the Sulu Hotel, Belmonte and QCCCI officers awarded plaques of appreciation to top business and realty taxpayers, led by the SM Group of Companies.

Their significant contributions helped earn for the city the prestige and recognition of being the highest revenue-earning local government with in the entire country as declared by the Commission on Audit.

The Quezon City government under the stewardship of Belmonte has generated a whopping P5.4 billion in income, plus P2 billion in savings after several years of deficit spending.

Apart from SM, which had paid P103 million in business and realty tax, other top business taxpayers cited were Jollibee Foods Corp., Mercury Group of Companies, Mercantile Store Group, Pacific Paint Oil Mfg., Market Strategic Firm Inc.; IBM Phils.; Nestle; Filinvest Land Inc.; and the Capitol Medical Center Inc.

Top realty taxpayers were Robinsons Land Corp.; Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas; Citibank NA, Nestle Phils. Inc.; Paramount Holdings Equities Inc.; Mercury Group of Companies; Philippine National Bank; LBL Industries Inc.; Land Bank of the Philippines and Eastin Holdings.

During the awarding ceremonies, Belmonte was assisted by City Treasurer Dr. Victor Endriga and lawyer Nathan Zulueta, president and executive officer of the Solar Entertainment Corp. and newly elected president of the QCCCI. Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCI) president Sergio Ortiz Luis Jr. also inducted the new set of QCCCI directors and officers for year 2003.

Addressing some 200 members of the QCCCI, Belmonte said he will continue making the city a business-friendly community by allowing businesses to freely operate without the unnecessary interference from the local government.

He recalled that from 1991 to 2001 the city government had been plagued by huge budget deficit . When he tookover as mayor, he reviewed the system and implemented a massive information drive on the payment of taxes. The effort paid off when the city surpassed Makati as the richest city in the country.

With the significant gains in tax collection, the administration has been able to release to the barangays some P257 million in real property tax shares as well as assistance to the police force in its anti-terror and crime campaign.

Record breaker

Meanwhile, Endriga announced that the Quezon City government posted a record one-day tax collection take of P199,574,736 last March 31.

The city treasurer said the amount brought to a total of P591.1 million the revenues from real property tax collected during the first quarter of this year.

Endriga said the collection represents an increase of P74.7 million, or 14.48 percent, over that of the same period last year.

Payments were accepted by the city treasurer’s office until midnight to accommodate taxpayers beating the March 31 deadline to avail of tax discounts.

"We don’t need to increase tax rates to improve revenue collection," said Belmonte, who has transformed Quezon City into the richest city not only in Metro Manila but the entire country. "All we need are more efficient systems."

The city government, under the Belmonte administration, has computerized its assessment and payment system, introducing speed yet greater checks and balances in the process.

During the peak day last March 31, Quezon City systems effectively processed more than 20,000 taxpayers applications, consisting of 7,813 and 13,000 collection payments. Taxpayers are able to complete their business in the city in less than an hour on average day.

Quezon City is the first local government in the country with a computerized real estate assessment and payment system, earning the recognition of no less than President Arroyo.

Belmonte’s thrust is to cut down processing time while upgrading the quality of operations so that more constituents’ needs can be addressed more effectively.