BACOLOD City – The City Treasurer’s Office (CTO) imposed a penalty to business establishments paying after the February 15 end of the business one-stop-shop(BOSS) here while waiting for the passage of a resolution to extend the filing of the business permits.
City treasurer Gary Gecosala confirmed that a 10 percent penalty took effect yesterday, February 17.
On February 14, the Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MBCCI) wrote a letter to acting mayor El Cid Familiaran, requesting an extension of the filing of the mayor’s permit for the year 2025 and the first quarter payment of the business tax to March 31, 2025.
Familiaran said the City Council will discuss the said request this Wednesday during their regular session, and he is optimistic that the council will grant it.
Meanwhile, Stela Rose Rayos, head of the city’s Business Permits and Licensing Office (BPLO), told the media yesterday that they registered 19,900 business establishments within 45 days, or from January 2 to February 15 this year.
In 2024, this highly-urbanized city registered a total of 24,690 businesses.
The figure is higher by 8 percent compared to the 22,784 registered businesses in 2023, and solidifies the city’s status as among last year’s most business-friendly local government units in the country./PN
