ILOILO City – The City Assessor’s Office tapped students from 13 public secondary schools and the Iloilo City Community College in its tax information and education campaign focusing on Real Property Tax (RPT).
“We want to educate our children on the importance of RPT,” said City Assessor Nelson Parreño.
Now on its 12th year, this scheme made Iloilo City the top revenue generating unit in Western Visayas this year, revealed Parreño.
“We got 149 percent of the real property tax collection,” he said.
Between 30 to 35 percent of the city’s executive budget came from the RPT, revealed Parreño.
The students were also among the recipients of the RPT because a percentage of it goes to the special education fund, said the city assessor.
Also, it is being used to fund various development projects, he added.
The non-payment of the RPT earns for the violator a penalty of two percent per month. A 10 percent discount is given, however, for those who could pay on time.
“I salute the city of Iloilo for this project. This is very laudable. Students and teachers participate in the program. In the development of a local government unit and the country for that matter, funding is really important,” said acting regional director Gilbert Gumabay of the Bureau of Local Government Finance. (PNA)
