Lapu-Lapu city gov’t awards top taxpayers

General Milling tops list; investment code draft mulled

The Lapu-Lapu city government led by Mayor Paz Radaza recognized the city’s 25 top taxpayers last Friday and called on the private sector to help in drafting an investment code for the city.

Shangri-La’s Mactan Island Resort and Spa was honored as a “Datu Lapu-Lapu Awardee” for  topping the list of taxpayers  for five straight years in all  criteria such as amount of taxes paid and on-time filing of necessary documents  for business operations of the fiscal year.

With Shangri-La given the special award, the top taxpayer this year was  General Milling Corp.

Radaza said the recognition  aims to encourage businesses to be diligent in their tax duties to the local government.

Investment code
Radaza pushed for the drafting of an  investment code for Lapu-Lapu, saying this is needed to sustain  investor’s confidence in the city.

The code would  set down  local government rules and  ordinances  that govern the running of businesses in the city.

Since last year, Lapu-Lapu has spent effort and resources rebranding itself as a  Historic Resort City which Radaza said makes it the  first local government unit in the country to take this direction.

She said being a fast-growing economy, the city government would want to attract creative minds and  talents in Lapu-Lapu.

She cited  61 percent increase in  business tax collections from P303 million in 2010 to P488 million in 2014.

At present, Lapu-Lapu City has 12,000 business establishments, up from 7,000 in 2010 or an increase of 66 percent in four years.

She also cited the 144 percent increase in collections of real property tax from P60.7 million in 2010 to P148 million in 2014.

Julie Christie Alegrado Vergara, consul of Austria, was the special guest of the event. Vergara is also president of Alenter Resort Hotel Corp., which owns Bluewater Maribago Beach Resort.

Lapu-Lapu City government employees and city officials led by Vice Mayor Marcial Ycong were present at the event.

The mayor’s daughter Rep. Aileen Radaza of the lone district of Lapu-Lapu City and the mayor’s  husband, former Rep. Arturo Radaza were also at the event.