No increased tax on ambient fish vendors in Pasil Fish Market

Pasil Fish Market vendor |CDN File photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines – The ambient fish market vendors can keep their profit as the Cebu City government will no longer impose an increase of 20 percent tax for selling at the Pasil Fish Market.

Jonil Matuguina, the head of the Market Authority, said at least 200 ambient vendors appealed to Mayor Edgardo Labella to exempt them from the 20 percent increase tax imposed on vendors at the Pasil Fish Market.

“Among gi-asses and tan-aw namo maglisod sad gyod silag bayad kay gamay raman silag puhunan, gamay ra sad silag ginansya,” said Matuguina.

(We assessed their situation and we saw that these ambient vendors will find it difficult to pay the tax because they only have a small capital and small profit.)

Ambient fish vendors are those who don’t have permanent stalls in the market. They are the ones who move around selling their goods.

Matuguina said the mayor is inclined to heed their requests in order to help the ambient vendors keep their livelihood and bring home more money to their families.

The tax is imposed to stall vendors based on the assessment by the City Treasurer’s Office on a yearly basis.

Matuguina said most stall vendors have agreed to the increase of the tax, expectedly since they also sell more with their permanent stalls.

This is difficult for the ambient vendors, who travel around the fish market to sell their goods. /bmjo