Parañaque in no hurry to impose 400% tax hike

Mayor Florencio Bernabe Jr. assured residents yesterday that the Parañaque City government is open to discussing the proposed 400 percent real property tax (RPT) increase.

He said the homeowners’ groups must be misinformed about the measure proposed by Councilor Jun Romey.

“It has to be further and more properly explained. We should think about this deeper. There is no rush,” Bernabe told The Star in an interview after hearing concerns raised by residents of BF Homes Parañaque, who are resisting any move to make them pay more taxes as property owners.

He noted that the local government has not implemented any RPT adjustment since it became a city more than a decade ago in 1992.

“We will be left behind by our neighboring cities like Muntinlupa, Taguig and Pasay. Taxes (are) the lifeblood of government, progress is affected,” he said.

Bernabe said a more wholistic approach is needed to improve Parañaque’s income, considering how its RPT rate is very low as compared to other localities.

Data gathered by The STAR show that properties in BF Homes Parañaque, for example, are taxed on the basis that each square meter of land is only worth P1,000 to P1,500, though they could easily go as high as P20,000 per square meter.

Bernabe said the city council is looking at final adjusting RPT rates because they are no longer realistic.

“The question that homeowners are really asking is what in it for me? It’s for our development,” Bernabe said in an effort to make residents understand.

According to him, the city government needs more revenue to fund development projects like road concreting, drainage repairs, and dredging of the Parañaque River.

He said there are also poverty alleviation programs that will ultimately lower crime rates for the benefit of both the less privileged and the well-to-do.

“We want to pursue this further,” Bernabe said, adding that the RPT rate increase that the city council is seeking to impose will be staggered over three years. – Michael Punongbayan