Governor Lilia G. Pineda recently ordered the provincial assessor’s office in the province to fast track the conduct of tax mapping project in the 20 municipalities and one city even as she required the assessor to have it completed by June this year.
The governor made this statement during the one-day consultative meeting on real property tax administration and provincial tax mapping project held at King’s Royale.
Pineda also enjoined the barangay officials throughout the province to provide the necessary support and assistance to the assigned tax mappers to speed-up the tax mapping project.
“If needed, the provincial government will provide necessary augmentation just to make sure that the project would be completed in June,” the governor told the participants in the meeting.
Scheduled for completion within three years, the tax mapping project has been on-going for two and one-half years now, thus the Governor wants all concerned stakeholders to render the necessary support.
Target priority areas in the completion of the project are the first class municipalities of Mabalacat , Mexico and Lubao and the City of San Fernando.
She likewise instructed the local government units to share in the transportation expenses of the tax mappers as stipulated in the memorandum of agreement the local chief executives entered into regarding the conduct of the tax mapping project.
The governor also reminded them that the municipalities and barangays stand to benefit from the increased tax payments which would be generated once the project is completed.
Provincial Administrator Atty. Andres S. Pangilinan, Jr. remarked that “as we all know, taxes are the lifeblood of any administration as they are used to finance various social, economic and infrastructure projects and services”.
Pangilinan further stated that it is of utmost importance that concerned citizens pay their taxes properly and promptly so the government could implement more projects designed to benefit their constituents.
The implementation of the project is somehow hampered by the absence of cadastral maps, some boundary disputes and inadequate manpower.
At present, the project is only 60 percent completed.
Provincial Assessor Romeo Dizon who presented updates on the tax mapping project during the said consultative meeting said that they will enlist the assistance of the Bureau of Lands to address the absence of cadastral maps, one of the factors which hinder the implementation of the project.
Meanwhile, Bureau of Local Government Finance (BLGF) Director Oscar H. Micla discussed property tax administration while Board Members Crisostomo Garbo, Nestor Tolentino and Ricardo Yabut of the Sanguniang Panlalawigan’s committee on ways and means delivered their respective messages to the participants of the one-day activity. (Pampanga PIO)
