A city official said there is no business tax increase in Angeles City.
City Administrator Willy Rivera said the city government did not increase business taxes.
Rivera was reacting to a report quoting the appeal of his brother, Councilor Amos Rivera, to his fellow Sangguniang Panlungsod members that business taxes in the city should be reduced.
The councilor relayed his appeal to Mayor Carmelo "Pogi" Lazatin Jr. to lower business taxes to help the business sector recover its losses due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The city administrator said many businesses including fast-food chains, which declared losses because of the pandemic, paid lower business taxes.
Only tourism-related businesses, including night clubs, were severely affected by the pandemic, he added.
Some banks even declared an increase in their revenues in 2020, according to Rivera.
"How can we lower the taxes of these businesses that declared an increase in their income," he said in Pampango.
Based on facts, the city administrator said the city government recorded 1,094 new businesses from March to December 2020.
In January 2021 alone, some 276 traders applied for new business, according to Rivera.
On the issue of the scrapped steel deck parking project of the city government, the city administrator said the mayor is eyeing the construction of a permanent and concrete parking building.
He added there are other important expenditures that the local government needs to prioritize particularly during these times, he added.
