[ manilastandardtoday.com ] June 25-26, 2011
QUEZON City administrator Dr. Victor Endriga Ph.D. said the approval by the city council of the proposed socialized housing tax will benefit thousands of squatter families occupying private and government lands.
He said 0.5 percent will be added to the present real estate tax to form a fund for informal settlers to have their own dwelling homes.
“Such plan is more beneficial and a lesser burden to our real estate taxpayers. The increase in tax payment of only 0.5 percent is minimal as envisioned by the said draft ordinance, rather than revising the city revenue code that would definitely hike the existing tax rates being collected by the city government by at least one hundred percent,” he said.
Endriga, former treasurer during the three terms of then Mayor Feliciano Belmonte from 2001 to 2010, told Manila Standard a solution to squatting problem cannot be postponed.
Although the Local Government Code of 1991 authorized the revision of tax ordinances or the revenue code every three years, Endriga said the city did once in 1996.
“With the expected okay of the socialized housing tax plan anytime soon, our city government can say now that it is truly and genuinely serious in addressing and tackling the squatting problem in our midst. Hopefully, upon the successful implementation of this program, we can eventually erase the ugly reference to QC as the ‘squatter capital of the country,” he said.
“I want to assure everyone that funds generated by SHT will solely be used to alleviate the sorry plight of our informal settlers. The vision and mission of Mayor Herbert Bautista just like those of former mayor and now House of Representative Speaker Belmonte, is to provide relocation for our needy squatter-constituents with decent housing units and job opportunities.” Tony Macapagal
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