TACLOBAN CITY – The committee on finance of the Sangguniang Panlungsod of Tacloban will conduct a public hearing with regards to the proposed revision of city’s revenue code on Nov. 18 and 21 at the Kanhuraw Convention Center and at the Sagkahan Gymnasium.
The public hearing is to be headed by committee on finance chairman Councilor Cristina Romualdez.
The revision of the revenue code has been asked by Mayor Alfred Romualdez for it has been 15 years since it was updated and according to him it had been two years since the city status was upgraded as a highly-urbanized city yet the revenue code remains at revision eight.
However, this move for revision of the city’s revenue code is being criticized by some members of the city council particularly members of the opposition bloc.
Among them is Councilor Jerry “Sambo” Yaokasin, who was once an ally of the city mayor particularly during the HUC campaign.
In an interview with Yaokasin, he recalled that among the promises they made to Taclobanons was there would be no tax increase for the next five years.
“If they will pursue with the passage of the revenue code they will be breaking their promise, because we are still under the five years promise of no tax increase, if there will be an increase that should be in 2013,” Yaokasin explained.
Yaokasin added that under the proposed ordinance seeking for the the revision of the revenue code, members of the opposition bloc had asked that their names be erased as proponents as they withdrew as co-sponsor of the proposed measure.
“But I hope that all voices of the city council will be heard once this is brought up in the floor,” Yaokasin added.
Earlier, the regional office of the Department of the Interior and Local Government had asked all local government units in the region to find ways to improve their finances and should not continue depending on their share on the internal revenue allotment(IRA).
Among the mechanisms proposed by the DILG was to update the revenue code of the LGUs.
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