New treasurer Veronica Morelos says she had previous experience working at her new post.
CDN File Photo
Cebu City Hall has a new city treasurer following the retirement of Acting City Treasurer Tessie Camarillo this year.
Asst. City Administrator Veronica Morelos took over from Camarillo effective yesterday and will hold the post until December 10 next year.
Annabeth Cuizon, chief of City Hall’s Cultural and Historical Affairs Commission, will take over from Morelos at the City Administrator’s office.
Morelos said her first order of business is to intensify tax collection and compliance among businesses.
Morelos said businesses won’t have any problems so long as they pay their taxes on time.
“We will spend the whole year of 2018 running after those businesses,” she said.
“(The job is) not new to me because I came from the City Treasurer’s Office when I started working in City Hall. But I have to update myself with the new tax provisions,” Morelos said.
In yesterday’s press conference, Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña said he hopes that the appointment of Morelos will help in compelling businesses to pay their taxes on time and to settle long overdue tax obligations.
“We’re catching a lot but that’s not enough, because there’s cheating going on over the place, they (business establishments) are cheating on ordinary vendors who’s been paying their taxes,” he said.
The mayor ordered the closure of businesses like hardware supply store Vic Enterprises, the Abuhan Dos restaurant and others for failing to pay taxes and securing permits.
“There are still a lot (of establishments that we are after), it’s massive,” Osmeña said.