By NITZ ARANCON and LITO RULONA Correspondents THE city council on Monday unanimously approved a proposal to extend the deadline for the renewal of business permits. The deadline was moved to Jan. 30 instead of today. Councilor Teodulfo Lao Jr., who presided over the session of the city council, said the decision was made because local legislators saw the need to first look into the issues and concerns raised by business groups. Lao said Cagayan de Oro Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Oro Chamber) president Jeffrey Ang and other local business leaders sent the city council a letter to seek for the extension to Feb. 28. The city council’s move means that establishments that would fail to renew their business permits today cannot be asked to pay an additional 20 percent representing surcharges. Ang told reporters his group sent the same letter to Mayor Oscar Moreno and city treasurer Glenn Bañez, and sought a clarification on whether or not city hall has implemented the new local revenue code approved by the city council. “Wala man gud masulat sa Revenue Code of 2015 ang  pagbayad sa mga establishment sa   environmental fee, so ma-o nga   nagsulat kami sa mayor, city treasurer, ug sa city council, ug nangotana kon unsa nga revenue code ang ilang gi-implement karong tuiga,” Ang said. The two-page letter was also signed by Greg Lao, president of the Misamis Oriental Filipino Chinese Chamber of Commerce Inc.; Manuel Andres Boniao, president of the Cagayan de Oro Chamber of Industries; Vivian Vestil, SHDA president and governor for Mindanao; Lilia Capistrano, president of Oro Bankers; Ruben Vegafria, president of Promote CDO Foundation Inc.; Efren Uy, governor of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI); and Antonio Uy, vice president for Mindanao of PCCI Mindanao. “We the coalition of Chambers of Commerce in Cagayan de Oro together with our partner association most respectfully write your office in view of the numerous complaints from our members companies with regard to the renewal of their respective business permits which the deadline is on January 20,” part of the letter reads. The Coalition also raised the following issues against the imposition of the environment fee for plastic bags that was repealed by City Ordinance no. 13008-2015, and the garbage fee which should be in accordance with the rates stipulated in Cagayan de City Revenue Code of 2015. The group questioned the Bureau of Fire Protection inspection fee, the 15-percent presumptive increase of the tax on the gross sales, the advance business tax, contractor or engineering tax, regular contractor’s fees, and asked about the status of taxpayers whose payments last year were made under protest. The Coalition said that while taxation is the life blood of the government..., “the same should be just, not arbitrary, not discriminatory and should be uniform.”