By Lilian Mellejor/PNA
DAVAO CITY — Close to 30,000 businesses have filed permit renewal applications here generating PHP299 million in business taxes and regulatory fees during the first 12 days of this month.
This was disclosed on Thursday by Business Bureau chief Marissa Torrentera and Acting City Treasurer Erwin Alparaque during the I-Speak Forum at the City Hall.
As of January 16, Torrentera said the city recorded 27,846 applications for renewal of business permits both from the main one-stop-shop at the Sangguniang Panlungsod and at the offsite center at the Almendras Gym.
In addition, 1,760 have been issued business permits before the renewal period which started last January 3 and ends on January 31.
Torrentera noted that for the same period in 2018, the city only recorded 25,015 business permit renewals.
Alparaque said the city has not yet reached the maximum number of applications, and that they are expecting more as the deadline approaches.
He said the one-stop-shop receives around 1,500 to 2,500 applications per day.
Top taxpayers
Last year, Alparaque said the city collected PHP1.3 billion in business taxes and surcharges during the renewal period.
Among the biggest contributors were business and real property taxes at PHP1.6 billion. Last year, the city government collected PHP8.55 billion in revenues, exceeding its target of PHP7.8 billion.
This year, the city aims to collect PHP8.9 billion in revenues.
Last year, the top taxpayers were Aboitiz firms Davao Light and Power Company for business taxes and Therma South Inc. for real property.
Meanwhile, Alparaque said the city already started the online payment on Wednesday, January 16, which will be accepted at the Land Bank of the Philippines branches.
Alparaque is expecting big businesses outside the city but maintain local branches to take advantage of the online payment system.
