Cebu City mulls payments of taxes through government banks

CDN FILE PHOTO

CEBU CITY, Philippines–Business establishment and entrepreneurs may soon no longer have to wait in long lines at the Cebu City Hall to pay their business taxes and permits.

This as the city government is looking to allow direct payments to government banks for faster transactions. 

Mayor Edgardo Labella said he has instructed City Treasurer, Lawyer Jerome Castillo, to make representations to the depository banks of the city, including the Philippine Veterans Bank, Landbank of the Philippines, and Development Banks of the Philippines (DBP), to ask if the Cebu City taxpayers may be allowed to directly pay to them some of the regulatory fees of the city.

Labella eyes business taxes and real property taxes to be directly deposited to the banks to ensure safety and convenience of the taxpayers, and also ensure transparency since the money goes directly to the banks.

“It is business friendly and it is convenient for the tax payers,” said Labella.

The mayor said he will be requesting the City Legal Office to study this plan to see if there are legal ramifications. But he is somewhat confident that there will not be many legal impediments.

Also, the mayor said that the he will be seeking the City Council’s help on the matter because this change in the payment method may need legal intervention.

Labella assured that the depository banks of the city are all government-run banks and can be trusted with the taxpayer’s money.

The new mayor said that since this is part of his 10 goals of the city,  he will continue to find ways to make the city more business friendly, especially to local entrepreneurs.

He said that the city will continue to innovate on business processes to help the business sector thrive in the city. /bmjo