BONTOC, MOUNTAIN PROVINCE– Governor Bonifacio C. Lacwasan Jr., in his State of the Province Address (SOPA) before members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan in their first session of the year at the Sangguniang Panlalawigan Hall January 10, 2017, reported that the province collected a total of Six Hundred Sixty Four Million Four Hundred Eighty One Thousand Seven Eleven and 62/100 pesos (P 664, 481,711.62) as of December 27, 2016 with a slight increase of P3,215,208.82 or 0.49 percent against the target of P 661, 266,502.80.
The actual collection is higher by 12.2 percent which is equivalent to P117,976,306.89 more than the 2015 actual collections which was at P546,505,404.73.
Hospitals topped the collection from local sources at P54.90 million followed by income generated from the rentals of provincial government’s facilities such as buildings and lots at P7.16 million.
Of the total actual collection, only P76.81 million were generated from local sources while P664.48 million was from the province’s Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA).
The province’s IRA dependency is still high due to a low tax base according to Provincial Treasurer Cawed A. Gamonnac.
As per report submitted by the Office of the Provincial Treasurer, the Real Property Tax (RPT) still remains the problem as far asthe tax revenue target is concerned.
The main reason for under collection of tax revenues is that the RPT of Hedcor- Sabangan, Inc. for 2015 was paid under protest. The case was elevated to the Provincial Board of Assessment Tax Appeals but the decision was not available as of press time.
The collected amount is deposited under the trust fund of the province and it shall soon be transferred to the general coffer of the province once settled.
Another problem is the soaring of RPT collectibles into millions which the local treasurers deem impossible to collect. This is attributed to many reasons such as: overlapping tax declarations; washed-out/eroded properties; unknown declarants and unknown properties; deceased declarants; properties are not existing; properties are donated to government units; properties are under CARP; properties are abandoned; properties were erroneously declared; etc.
The provincial treasurer is optimistic that the province’s collection performance will improve with the undergoing interventions of both the local assessors and treasurers, and the support of the chief executives and legislative officers in the barangay, municipal and provincial governments, including all the stakeholders in the collections and assessments programs. **Alfred F. Macalling
