THE Iloilo City Government has offered tax amnesty in an effort to cushion the impact of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) on City Hall coffers.
Mayor Jerry Treñas encouraged delinquents to pay their obligations and help City Hall continue to deliver services to the Ilonggos amid the Covid-19 crisis.
City Treasurer Jinny Hermano said the reprieve may provide relief to those who cannot afford to pay the charges on top of the principal dues.
"When mayor called for a meeting and got consensus on how to generate funds, one of the suggestions was to pass a tax amnesty so we could tap previous 'sleeping' payments (receivables). There are taxpayers who might not be able to pay because they have penalties," he added.
"By passing the Tax Amnesty Ordinance, we will waive the interests and penalties in order for us to help our taxpayers affected by Covid crisis, and at the same time we can generate funds," Hermano said.
The City Treasurer's Office is now accepting interested parties.
"The coverage of tax amnesty is interest and penalty of basic real property tax. If you have unpaid dues on December 31, 2019, you can avail of it without paying the interest," Hermano said.
"They have to present old receipts. Or they provide the name of property owner, then we will compute their taxes without penalties and interest for 2019 and below (or preceding years)," he added.
"Those who want to avail will only have until October 31, 2020. We have set to generate funds until third quarter of the year so we can balance our shortfall on income due to effects of Covid-19," Hermano said.
"We encourage taxpayers to avail of tax amnesty because it can be a once in a lifetime opportunity," he added. (PR)