It is unfortunate that the deadline yesterday for the processing and renewal of business permits was not extended by the Sangguniang Panlungsod, Acting Bacolod Mayor Greg Gasataya said yesterday. Gasataya said this is the first time in the history of Bacolod that the deadline was not extended. The SP should have acted on the request of the Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry and other business groups for an extension in order to avail of the 10 percent discount, he said. Under Section 167 of the Local Government Code it is only the SP that can extend the deadline for the processing of business permit, Gasataya said. The mayor cannot issue an executive order to extend the deadline but only the SP, contrary to the information being spread by the other camp, he said. Gasataya said this is unfair to the taxpayers who are experiencing discomfort because of the non-extension of the deadline of the renewal of business permit. They do not deserve to be treated this way, he said. The taxpayers are the ones giving taxes to help the economy of the city and they should be treated with ease and comfort, Gasataya said. Many taxpayers queued for hours at the Treasurer's Office to beat the deadline yesterday in order to avoid paying penalties and surcharges, while city employees had to render overtime work until 1 a.m. to help process their applications, he said. Councilor Caesar Distrito said the mayor cannot extend the deadline which is set by the law and it is only an abling ordinance that could extend the deadline and not by a mere executive order. Distrito had proposed an ordinance that aims to extend until February 29, the January 20 deadline for paying business taxes, the filing or renewal of the business permits and condoning the surcharges and penalties, that was submitted to the SP recently. The ordinance, co-authored by Councilors Em Legaspi Ang and Roberto Rojas, said the Bacolod Revenue Code provides that the mayor's permit and business tax should be renewed and paid on or before 20th of January and failure to do so will subject the taxpayer to a 25 percent surcharge and 2 percent penalty per month. The proposed ordinance will also condone the 25 percent surcharge and the 2 percent penalty per month accrued on business taxes and permits of most taxpayers. It also said that the proposed ordinance is an answer to the request of acting Mayor Greg Gasataya to extend the deadline of the filing and renewal of business permits and the payment of the first quarter of the business taxes in response also to the appeals made by members of the business community and accounting firms in the City of Bacolod. The ordinance also stated that every year the SP extends the deadline of the processing of the business permits, as well as the payment of business taxes to give ample time to taxpayers to settle their obligations to the City Government. Distrito said they proposed for an extension of the deadline so taxpayers can still avail of the 10 percent discount on their payments. He said they were not able to pass the ordinance since the annual budget has not yet been approved. They are restricted by law and can only discuss one agenda, which is the annual budget, once the year has started but have not yet acted on the budget. Distrito said that, for the third time, they were not able to discuss any agenda except the budget. So the proposed ordinance that extends the deadline to February 28 was not passed. They hope to pass it in their next session and give it a retroactive effect, he said. Thousands of taxpayers will be affected by these penalties on business permit fee due to non-passage of the ordinance, Distrito said. Acting Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran said Councilor Claudio Puentevella, chairman of the SP Committee on Finance and Appropriations, manifested during the 15-minute session yesterday, that he will conduct one or two more budget hearings.*CGS BY CHRYSEE SAMILLANO
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