very serious indeed!

I wrote my first blog entry yesterday after a long silence of dormancy. I am right. They are serious in implementing more tax. In fact, an avid (sorry for the word) follower of this blog made an immediate comment. I’m posting it here because I think it deserves space.. and attention. Here’s proButuan’s comment:

There may be a slight increase in tax compared to the previous year due to updated valuation and revision done by the City Assessor’s Office….But looking at it…the City of Butuan remains to have the LOWEST in cost real property tax among cities in Mindanao.

The developments in infrastructure like new by-pass roads, bridge and the completion of major flood controlsystem projects have significantly improved the value of land in the city be it residential, agricultural or commercial.

A benchmarking mission to cities in Mindanao was undertaken by the City Assessor’s Office of Butuan to gather the comparative real property tax valuations by cities. The cities of Davao, Tagum, Panabo, Iligan, Cagayan de Oro and Surigao City were the points of reference.

The benchmarking mission done in 2007 revealed that for a 300 square meter lot first class commercial land in Davao City cost P17,250.00, which is 18% higher compared to Butuan of P14,625.00. Likewise, for a second class commercial land, it is higher bb y 8% of P12, 937.50 compared to our city of P12, 006.00. In the case of Cagayan de Oro City, the tax due for first class commercial land of 0.3% is just similar to ours. It differed in the tax due for second class commercial land, which is 15% higher of P13, 770.00 in contrast to Butuan’s P12, 006.00. First class residential land in Davao City has a tax due of 16% with the corresponding cost of P825.00 compared to P714.00 of Butuan. Cagayan de Oro City has 3% tax due with cost of P735.00. Davao City’s second class residential land has 9% tax due of P660.00 while that of Butuan is P604.80. Agusan Del Norte as the reference showed that for a 1,000 hectare agricultural land it has a tax due of P395.00, which is higher by 24% compared to Butuan of P319.20.

It is not enough to report on your blog about an increase in tax….But IT IS MORE worthy to report that compared to other cities benchmarked above; BUTUAN remains to have THE MOST COMPETITIVE LOWEST

Seriously, they are serious

This blog is back. It has not risen from the dead because it’s not yet dead. This comes back to life not with vengeance but maybe will try it’s best to mix with funny stuff. I’ll try my best not to post serious issues. People up there were not happy. I thought they have the sense of humor. No, they are dead serious. Do you really expect seriousness from people who lack the seriousness in their promise to public service? Come on. We know they can’t handle it. That’s too much for them. But they mean it this time. They are seriously serious. After last year’s increased in tax, they are serious to add more this year and even more for 2010.

KITA as in Income?

For sure this was not a campaign poster. The year has just started. This was part of the give away calendar of the City- maybe to remind the public that the Office still exists. Well, below the calendar were pictures of the various projects that the City has done. Many were not quite sure if these were accomplishments of the previous year or just another recycled projects- those projects that were handed down from generation to generation.

What caught attention was the banner- Ako, Ikaw, Kita: Kalambuan. For a Bisayan speaking, reading the lines was straight forward. But my Chinese friend has a different thing in mind. Even my Ilocano neighbor has. Both pronounced the word KITA with an accent in TA giving a different meaning. They confirmed that the City is only after their INCOME because the poster said so. We can’t blame them.

What I worry most? Those in the City Hall that robs my hard earned KITA.