Fishport operator ordered to pay back taxes to Navotas

The Philippine Fisheries Development Authority, operator of the Navotas Fish Port Complex, has been ordered to pay the host city some P62.8-million in back taxes.

In an order recently issued by Malabon City Regional Trial Court ( Branch 169) Judge Emmanuel Laurea, the PFDA was directed to pay Navotas City its 10-year outstanding obligation because “it has become final and executory.” The Supreme Court promulgated in Oct. 2, 2007 a decision in favor of the city government.

The Malabon RTC said the SC decision has become final and executory on Jan. 16, 2008, and “execution is now a matter of right, the Motion for Execution is hereby granted.”

Navotas City Mayor Tobias Tiangco said the city government had earlier petitioned the Malabon RTC to compel PFDA to settle its tax dues immediately. “The PFDA has no option but to pay up. It will be just a matter of time,” said a confident Tiangco.

The mayor told The STAR in an interview yesterday that the P62.8 million represented back taxes only from 1991 to 2001.

“We waited for a favorable ruling from the courts which we already got.

The next logical step would be to make the PFDA settle its obligation from 2002 up to the present,” said Tiangco who welcomed the court’s decision.

The lower court said that despite an agreement to amicably settle, the PFDA has reportedly failed to do its part.