Sunday, September 18, 2005
Councilman’s P21T tax penalty provokes call for review
Acting on a complaint from a barangay official, a Cebu City councilor is asking the City Attorney’s Office to investigate a possible “business permit payment scam” at the City Treasurer’s Office.
City Councilor Edgardo Labella, in a proposed measure, said the City Attorney should immediately investigate an allegation made by Pasil Barangay Councilman Leo Dakay.
Labella is chairman of the council committee on laws, ordinances, public accountability and good government.
According to him, Dakay “got the jolting surprise of his life” when he received a notice from the Office of the City Treasurer.
It informed him that he has a delinquent tax assessment, including non-payment of business permit, amounting to around P21,000 from 2002 to 2005.
But Dakay said he religiously renewed his business permit through a middleman named Manolito “Bomboy” Ledesma, a government employee assigned to the Cebu City Sports Commission.
Ledesma allegedly admitted receiving more than P9,000 in 2002 and 2003 as payments, but could not explain why these did not reach the City Treasurer’s Office.
The call for a review echoed an earlier request of City Anti-indecency Board (Caib) chairman Rene Josef Bullecer, who said a business permit can be had at suspiciously short notice at City Hall.
He said there were establishments that Caib caught operating without a business permit, but were able to get one in just a couple of days.
Securing one normally takes weeks because it involves a lot of requirements and several inspections, he said.
“It is imperative that a definitive solution be conducted on this important matter, considering that it appears to infringe on the prescribed duties and responsibilities of government officials and employees,” Labella said.
It also affects the “vigorous tax collection initiatives of the City Government of Cebu.”
He quoted Section 1, Article 11 of the 1987 Constitution, which states “public officers and employees must at all times be accountable to the people, serve them with utmost responsibility, integrity and efficiency, act with patriotism and justice, and lead modest lives.”
He will ask fellow city councilors to support his call during next week’s council session.
The failure to meet tax collection targets has forced City Hall to put off some P155 million in barangay projects identified in the 2004 Annual Investment Plan. (RHM)
(September 18, 2005 issue)
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