Delinquent Las Piñas properties face auction

Real property owners with outstanding taxes have been served notices of payment, requiring them to settle their delinquency or face the auctioning of their properties set by the end of this year.

Mayor Imelda Aguilar said the city expects to collect over a million pesos from uncollected taxes if property owners cooperate and pay their tax obligations.

The mayor explained that the revenue to be generated from these delinquent taxes are necessary to ensure continuous delivery of basic services to Las Piñeros, particularly in the areas of health and education.

She said that while the city remains efficient in its collection of other income-generating sources like permits and licenses, revenues from realty taxes are being factored to meet all other obligations and projects.

City Treasurer Rizal del Rosario said delinquent real estate taxes due are mostly incurred by commercial business establishments which failed to regularly pay the necessary taxes in the last 10 years.

"Real estate owners are duty bound to pay their tax dues for their property on time. We can only allow them a certain period to delay payment, but with corresponding penalties as mandated by law," del Rosario said.

The city treasurer, however, stressed that the city is definitely not extending any amnesty to delinquent tax payers after the 1998 tax reprieve.

All real property owners are given until Oct. 31 to settle their unpaid taxes or they will be included in the list of delinquent real estate to be auctioned off by the end of November 2004.