Bataan RPT collections increased by 47% for the first 6 months of 2014

CITY of BALANGA, Bataan – The Bataan Provincial Treasurer’s office’s efficiency in collecting real property taxes (RPT) remarkably improved in the first six-months of the year notwithstanding the revision implemented by the Provincial Assessors’ Office.

Mrs. Emerlinda S.Talento, Provincial Treasurer, said the collections on real property tax increased by 47% compared to the same period last year. She explained that the combined basic and special education fund of P 1,110,260,482.10 collections recorded from January to June this year, is higher as compared to the total collection performance of P 755,278,459.27 last year or a substantial improvement of P 354,982,022.83 .

Talento added that the additional tax collection amounting to some P 200 million was generated through compromise agreements during public auctions of real properties.a

For this year, the Province is targeting P 1,144,032,639.82 on RPT; P 111,581,353.62 for business taxes and P 4,402,096.22 for fees and charges.

Engineer Ricardo Herrera, Provincial Assessor, said the local government units (LGU’s) are allowed to make revisions every year on realty property taxes. The revision aims to upgrade the value and to identify misdeclared real properties in the eleven municipalities in the province.

In a related development, Bataan Governor Albert Raymond S. Garcia is appealing to local government officials and residents to help in the tax campaign particularly on real property taxes to help ensure comfortable and excellent academic atmosphere in the Province.

He said that one percent of the taxes we pay goes to the Special Education Fund (SEF) which are utilized for the operation and maintenance of school buildings, educational research, acquisition of books and reading materials and for sports development.