[ Manila Bulletin Online ] June 25, 2008
By JACK C. GADAINGAN
NAVAL, Biliran --The general revision and tax mapping to be conducted in this island province is not aimed at raising real property taxes, but at equalizing and updating valuations -- just like a periodic physical inventory of real properties.
Engineer Nilo Penaflor, Biliran provincial assessor, made this statement over the radio to allay fears, the most common reaction by taxpayers whenever general revision and tax mapping is mentioned.
Based on the new schedule of market values approved by the Provincial Board May 28, 2008, realty taxes will increase uniformly by 10 percent from the existing schedule of unit values of commercial, residential, agricultural, industrial, and all kinds of lands, except those exempted under the law.
However, the scheduled tax mapping could even reduce one’s real property tax payments, particularly on properties where certain listed improvements no longer existed—due to events or calamities that have erased them, like that of fruit bearing trees devastated by typhoon or coconut trees that have been cut into lumber.
Penaflor said when tax mappers go to the field and inspect for example a property with formerly 100 coconut trees, and because of typhoon there are just 10 fruit bearing trees left, so the valuation on improvements on that property will reduce.
The general revision is mandated by law so that the assessor can give mass action the real property units in the entire province, because it would take so many years if revision is done one by one, just upon the individual request of tax payers calling on the office, according to Penaflor.
Aside from the primary purpose of equalizing and updating valuation of real property, through the General Revision and Tax Mapping: 1. Lost properties from the tax roll can be found or discovered, and could be matched with the actual situation at the field to the records at the office; 2. It will enable the assessor to purge or clean cases of double taxation or double assessment of real property"particularly those that has dual records at the office, as result of some erroneous recording of the previous.
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