By Vic G. del Pilar
delpilarvic@gmail.com
City Dads in the Eye of the Storm
Revising the revenue code of this city is not as easy as going to the cockpit arena every Sunday and bet your hard earned money. It takes a lot of research and study in order to come up with an effective law that is more vibrant and acceptable to the people it serves.
Legislating a law amidst the roaring complaint and disagreements among the populace could be a dangerous precedence. The proposed revenue code that is currently being hatched at the city sanggunian, these days has become a controversial piece of legislation because it seems that the people is not yet ready to accept it, especially at this critical times and that the community is not happy about it.
It is for this reason, that members of the city sangunian, this city are now in the eye of the storm. Little did they know they are approaching a pit and almost in the verge of disaster. There is now a call for them to ponder deeply and share their individual understanding of the measure before taking a final action before the time falls out.
It needs a lot of thorough review before the same could be considered for approval. Let the concerned people first involved and understand its purpose for which it is enacted. A workshop for that matter would suffice. Otherwise its failure can open the floodgates of another Cagayan de Oro tragedy, remember? No question on the authority of the local government to revised its revenue code. That is a mandate after all. The law is explicit that local government units are mandated to revise its revenue code every 5 years. The failure of the city to revise its revenue code for the last 15 years is water under the bridge. And why make the people of the city suffer?
Increase in the rate from 10% or 15% which is far more acceptable, why 40%? And revising it with a proposed 40% increase at this time when the country is facing a global economic crisis, coupled with the fact that election time is in the offing, who can stop the people from speculating that the money raised as soon as the law becomes effective would be used to finance the political machinery of the administration politicians?
What do you think? Is it not that the proposed new revenue code is ill-time, apart from being immoral and malicious?
My reminders is that before the city sanggunian takes the law into its final form, they should first satisfy the important basic fundamental principles of taxation that says, and I quote: taxes, fees, charges or other impositions shall be equitable and based as far as practicable on the taxpayers ability to pay. That it must be just, not excessive, not oppressive or confiscatory, unquote.
Now look, who’s telling I am inconsistent?
