Tom to replace business permit with updated tax clearance

Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña meets with BPO leaders at the Sinulog Hall of the Rizal Library yesterday to assure them of the city’s full support in addressing all their problems (CDN PHOTO/CHRISTIAN MANINGO).

INSTEAD of issuing business permits to business establishments, Cebu City government plans to only issue an updated tax clearance to increase the city government’s tax collection efficiency.

Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña said he believed that the current system is tedious because of the bureaucratic procedure.

“That way we make it easier for the businessman to pay their taxes. We will collect a lot more taxes, believe me,” Osmeña said.

He said it is impossible for the small businessmen, such as variety store owners, to comply with the permits asked of them.

He said he planned to implement this system in his current term as
mayor.

“We’ll just issue tax clearance. Just pay your taxes, okay ka na. We will not run after you,” he said.

Also, Osmeña said the only job of the City Treasurer’s Office is to collect taxes.

“I don’t care what your business is. It’s not the treasurer’s office to examine your business. Whether there is a building code violation, that’s not their problem. It’s a problem of somebody else,” he said.

On the other hand, City treasurer Tessie Camarillo said it would be advantageous for the taxpayers and business establishments because an updated tax clearance would mean that the business had already been registered and had already paid their obligation to the city.

She said her main concern would be to ensure that taxpayers could pay.

Camarillo said she had already discussed this initially with the mayor and they were preparing to implement it.

Currently, there are 32,000 active business establishments.

If the taxpayer fails to pay their dues, Osmeña said the establishment would be closed.