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Ben Contreras

SOME years ago, the business sector rose to combat the abuses of one official in the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) that resulted in his transfer. It was unprecedented in the history of Cagayan de Oro. Is it going to happen again? So it seems.

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Being the first month of the year and a time for business permit renewal, business is apparently going through the same ordeal of paying higher and higher business taxes and fees.

In a meeting attended by leaders of the chambers of commerce in the city, they all decried not only the excessive charges but also the collection of one that had been repealed by the City Council in its revised Tax Code.

It was not just a meeting among chambers of commerce but also participated by other concerned groups like contractors, accountants and others.

The issues raised are as follows:

Environmental fee (EF). The original EF was said to be authored by Councilor Prexy Elipe. The ordinance of paying a peso per plastic bag in groceries and malls would go to a special trust fund intended for the “Sendong” victims. But it was repealed and under the revised Tax Code, it no longer exists.

So, why is it being collected? Well, it is not just being collected, it is also exorbitant. Business establishments are allegedly being slapped an EF from P18 to P90 thousand each. According to the businessmen, even gas stations are made to pay that much, leading one to ask: “Are we using plastic to sell our gasoline?”

Garbage fee (GF). Compared to the previous year, the GF this time is much higher. It appears that the  tariff being collected is not in accordance with the revised Tax Code. Business finds it excessive.

Fire inspection fee (FF). Like the GF, the inspection fee also increased tremendously.

Those who paid their taxes under protest last year are not getting their refund.

Aside from these, there are other concerns raised by a building contractor, and they were demanding fairness. Otherwise, they will take necessary action to combat such abuse.

One big corporation denounced the arbitrary imposition of tax not based on actual sales but on the one dictated by the city government. This reminds me of what city treasurer Glenn Bañez told us once: “Kayo namang mga negosyante, puro kayo sinungaling.”

Another businessman told me about his predicament. He reported a sales of so much but Bañez insisted on a much higher amount and allegedly said, “Kung ganyan lang ang sales nyo, magsara na lang kayo.”

I will not preempt what businessmen plan to do. But we should be hearing from them soon.

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