By Chito Chavez
Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista warned city hall employees they will be jailed if they are found to connive with fixers especially during the tax payment season.
Annoyed by mounting complaints, Bautista said city hall employees will be prosecuted even if the money of the complainants is returned.
“No one is above the law. “We should not tolerate this wrongdoing by our workers. Cases against those employees who act as fixers should push through,” he said.
Councilor Victor Ferrer Jr., former chairman of the city council ways and means committee, said fixers usually abound from January to March, the time for paying business and real property taxes.
Ferrer said the city government not only wants to boost the city’s infrastructure and economy but also to uphold the moral and ethical standards of public servants.
To fight corruption and avoid confusion, the city government has implemented a modified set-up where the rebilling of tax assessments will now be handled by the Business Permit and Licensing Office (BPLO).
Bautista noted that the city administrator and the Quezon City Information Technology Development Office (QCITDO) regularly conduct a random audit of transactions in the initial evaluation, assessment and billing and approval of payment and signatures to sniff out discrepancies, malfeasance or misfeasance in the evaluation, assessment or billing process.
Once irregularities are uncovered, the city administrator and the QCITDO may recommend the relief of the assigned Treasury Department employees and their investigation.
BPLO chief Garry Domingo said unauthorized individuals are barred from loitering inside the Revenue Generation Offices, saying they will be presumed to be fixers and dealt with accordingly.
In the past, chaos and confusion attended business tax payments because the taxpayers do not know who to consult regarding what they consider as excessive tax assessments.
Under the new set-up, rebilling of business tax payments may be entertained only upon the written authorization of the mayor or his authorized representative who is Domingo.
Bautista said the move ensures the “ease in doing business,” efficiency, transparency and accountability in all official transactions with the city’s clients and taxpayers.
Registered business establishments found to have underdeclared their gross sales or receipts may be blocked or unblocked by the mayor or BPLO head, depending on the recommendation of the Review and Audit team.
Upon payment, Domingo may issue business permits provided the applicant of the registered businesses submit the locational clearance from the City Planning and Development Office within 10 days.
Checks, mobile money and credit card payments under existing laws, ordinance, rules and regulations may be accepted in the payment of taxes.