By Dexter A. See
The city council, during last Monday’s regular session, created a task force to undertake the legal cancellation of tax declarations of properties located in the city but registered at the Tuba Municipal Assessor’s Office.
Under Resolution No. 548, series of 2020 signed by Mayor Benjamin B. Magalong, local legislators stated that the subsequent registration of the same properties for taxation purposes at the City Assessor’s Office shall also be facilitated by the task force.
The chairperson of the city council Committee on Urban Planning, Lands and Housing will serve as the head of the task force while the members will be the City General Services officer, city Assessor, city legal officer, Tuba municipal assessor and Tuba municipal legal officer.
According to the council, there is an immediate necessity for a task force to register with the City Assessor’s office the properties earlier registered in Tuba, Benguet but are located in Baguio City for taxation purposes in the city.
Earlier, Tuba Municipal Assessor Engr. Noel G. Tomin, upon invitation of the local legislative body, confirmed that there are properties located in the city but are tax declared and registered in Tuba.
He said that Tuba Mayor Clarita Sal-ongan expressed her concern on the aforesaid matter and will be extending her full support and cooperation in resolving the matter for the best interest of both the neighboring local government units.
The council said that the double tax declarations of the same properties are reportedly depriving the city government tax revenues aside from sowing confusion. The situation is also being used by unscrupulous persons to sell properties to any interested purchaser.
The council has directed the task force to immediately convene and undertake the required processes to ensure that properties within the metes and bounds of Baguio and Tuba be rightfully declared and registered with the appropriate local government to prevent double declaration and registration of said properties.
The Tuba municipal assessor also vowed to cooperate with the task force to facilitate the smooth transfer of the list of properties supposedly within the jurisdiction of Baguio but are tax declared and registered in their municipality.
The task force has committed to immediately complete the legal process the soonest, especially because the payment of real property taxes is fast approaching, so that both local governments will be able to receive what is due to them.
