THE Zamboanga City Government stands to lose revenues from four sources next year, but the City Treasurer’s Office has assured that it will double up if not improve its collection efficiency from the remaining sources of income to offset the amount that will be lost from the city coffers.
City Treasurer Romelita Candido said the city government will lose about P20-million income from garbage fees next year as these will now be collected by the villages that recently received the garbage trucks from the city government.
“When we started distributing garbage trucks to the barangays, then it is expected that the barangay fees generated by the city will be reduced,” Candido said, citing the management sharing between the barangays and the city government.
Another revenue source the city will lose income from is the police clearance fee which is now being collected by the police since October 2019.
The city used to collect P3 to P4 million annually from police clearance fee.
Hence, there are now few people queuing at the City Treasurer’s lobby.
“Orderliness may have set in, but we lose income. The impact may not be felt this year because the collection had ceased only last October, but definitely we will feel the impact next year.” Candido said.
The city treasurer added that the city government used to earn revenue from the operation of “Once Islas” as an eco-cultural tourist destination, but effective next year 40 percent of the said income will be given to the host barangays of Panubigan and Dita, while the city government will get only 60 percent of the amount generated, pursuant to an ordinance.
The fourth source of revenue from which the city will lose income next year is the parking fees.
Candido stressed that any collections being done by anybody from city street parking are not sanctioned by the city government or her office, therefore they are illegal.
She said the city had ended its contracts with the parking aides or parking boys, who used to collect parking fees, since September this year in line with President Duterte’s directive on road obstruction clearing.
In effect, Candido will lose huge revenues from these sources—garbage fees, police clearance fees, Once Islas and parking fees—starting next year, but she assured no increase in tax rates neither will there be any anew taxes to be collected.
To offset the losses, she said her office will intensify collection efforts on existing sources, particularly on real property tax, as provided for under the Revenue Code of Zamboanga City. (SunStar Zamboanga)