THE Tax Research and Action Team (Tract) is set to produce the finalized list of amendments of Tax Code of Davao City by May.
Davao City assistant administrator Tristan Dwight Domingo, in an interview with VoxPop Davao, said that they are now revising the proposed amendments particularly in the increases of revenue-generating measures of the city.
“We have already conducted a lot of meetings and we are currently fine-tuning it. This is also in connection with the committee of finance ways and means and appropriations under Davao City Councilor Danilo Dayanghirang and other committees of the council,” he said.
He said their meetings include question and answer sessions and deliberation on the reasons why there are parts of the Tax Code of the city that must be deleted and why increase will be enforced on some areas.
“Everything is deliberated by the revenue generating offices, including the legality and the propriety of the measures they look forward,” he said. He said that their meetings will be part of committee hearings, where the item will be discussed.
“Hopefully everything will be fine-tuned by May 12 so the members of the council will also have a chance to go deeper with their discussions, most likely they will deliberate it with all the council members,” Domingo said.
He said the council will check for changes needed in the tax deliberate revenue measures and after that as required by law, public hearing will be conducted within the city before the law will be enacted.
“The law requires that the public is consulted before any increase will be enacted," he said.
Domingo is part of Tract that was created City Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte on October 3, 2016 to further improve the city’s current revenue generation order to sustain delivery of public services.
The Tract was tasked to “conduct massive tax campaign, monitor the operations and activities of all who are doing business in the city, and take necessary and appropriate action against erring business firms to require them to pay their taxes, fees and charges in the City of Davao.”
The EO underscored that tax policy should be based on sound revenue projections of the city’s financial requirements and an understanding of the existing and potential revenue base in its territory.
Domingo said that there is a need to change the tax code was not amended for ten years and they found that it is a high time to check if there are possible changes that may affect the cost of collection of the city.
He said that the money being collected by the city now may not be enough to supplement or support the needs of the city. (KVC)