Councilors in Quezon City are urging Mayor Herbert Bautista to grant city employees their 14th month pay as personnel emergency relief allowance (PERA).
The 37-member council passed City Resolution 7651, appealing to Bautista to find means to provide regular, contractual and consultant employees with such benefit as assistance.
“In 2016, Quezon City collected more than its target of P17 billion, and last year, the State Auditor reported that QC exceeded its target 12 percent from 17.72 billion to 18.370 billion or P650.313 million,” the resolution read.
PERA is subject to an automatic yearly adjustment equivalent to any increase of the annual inflation rate amid high commodities prices, the councilors noted.
“With the sound of financial management of the city, it is high time that the salaries of employees must be taken into consideration,” the resolution stated.
Meanwhile, Bautista is set to sign a proposed ordinance granting business tax amnesty in 2019.
District 1 Councilor Victor Ferrer Jr. is optimistic the mayor would not veto the measure.
“I have already transmitted the copy of the proposed ordinance to the Office of the Mayor,” he told the Manila Standard.
“I know for sure the mayor will support anything good for the people,” he said.
According to Ferrer, the city council recently passed on third and final reading the grant of business tax amnesty for 2016, 2017 and 2018.
“All business owners and operators in Quezon City, whether single or individual, partnership or corporation, who are subject to the declaration of their previous year’s gross sales or receipts covering the period of Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2018, will be paying their local business taxes for the year 2019 only with 30 percent higher than that of their previous year’s local business tax payment,” the measure read.
Ferrer said even city treasurer Ruby Guevarra and Business Permit and Licensing Office chief Garry Domingo did not oppose the tax amnesty grant.
“Assuming only 20 percent of those concerned taxpayers would avail of the tax amnesty, the tax collection is still that big,” he said.
Those to avail of the amnesty shall be exempted from submission or presentation, inspection and examination of their business records, books of accounts, audited financial statements and other pertinent documents.
In another development, the mayor spearheaded the inauguration of a four-level parking building for taxpayers and transacting public.
“We want the whole city hall compound a walkable place, and that there would be electronic jeepneys,” Bautista said.
The parking building is open from Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m.