THE high-end club linked to controversial businessman Kenneth Dong has beat the 10-day deadline to pay their amusement taxes.
A representative of Liv Super Club paid P579,500 at the Business Permit and Licensing Office of Mandaue City to cover their amusement tax dues for 2016.
But the management asked for more time to settle their amusement tax dues for 2017, said Jun Veliganio, Mandaue City’s Public Information Officer.
“They asked if they could slowly pay the 2017 amusement tax dues as a compromise,” he said in Cebuano.
A staff member lamented that their sales dropped after Liv Super Club located at the City Time Square in Mandaue City was dragged into the controversy involving Dong, one of the club owners.
Dong was identified as a “middleman” in the smuggling of 602 kilos of shabu worth P6.4 billion that were uncovered in Valenzuela City.
He was later arrested on rape charges filed by a 33-year-old woman in Parañaque City.
The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in Central Visayas also identified Liv Super Club as one of the five establishments in Cebu and Mandaue cities where transactions of illegal drugs would take place.
According to lawyer Elaine Bathan, Liv was supposed to owe the city only P361,000 in amusement taxes for 2016.
But the amount went up to P579,500 because of surcharges and penalties since the taxes were not paid on time.
Liv settled their tax dues on Friday, two days after the city issued a 10-day notice of closure that gave the establishment 10 days to pay up or face closure.
“They paid only for 2016 which is P579,500 (yesterday afternoon),” said Mandaue City Treasurer Regal Oliva.