Quezon City Attorney Orlando Casimiro said Ordinance No. SP-2556, which was passed in 2016 when Mayor Joy Belmonte was still Vice Mayor and Presiding Officer of the Quezon City Council, does not mandate a property tax rate hike.
Quezon City officials have refuted Anakalusugan Party-list representative and mayoralty candidate Mike Defensor’s allegations on a forthcoming increase on the city’s property tax rates.
In a statement, Quezon City Attorney Orlando Casimiro said Ordinance No. SP-2556, which was passed in 2016 when Mayor Joy Belmonte was still Vice Mayor and Presiding Officer of the Quezon City Council, does not mandate a property tax rate hike.
“He [Defensor] is lying. The ordinance mentioned by the lawmaker has nothing to do with increasing the land tax rate, but refers to the increasing assessed value of properties in Quezon City,” Casimiro said.
The official said the ordinance was passed in compliance with the mandate of Republic Act No. 7160 or the Local Government Code of 1991 as amended that all local government units must conduct real property assessment every three years.
The Supreme Court issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) to stop the Ordinance’s implementation after it was questioned before the High Court in 2017.
The ordinance was junked the petition in 2018, and never implemented after Belmonte pledged in 2019 that her administration will not increase real property taxes.
“It is primarily a legislative measure where then-Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte’s role was the presiding officer. As Mayor, she never enforced any increase in real property tax. Further, consistent with her policy and in consideration of the plight of the public during this pandemic, no public auction due to real property tax delinquency was ever conducted during her term,” Casimiro stressed.
He further clarified that the ordinance will not lead to an increase in land tax as it only correctly adjusts land values so landowners may realize higher returns on their lands.
While the city government plans to adhere to the increased land values as mandated by law, Casimiro said that enforcement “is not even near the horizon” as the same has been suspended by the City Council.
Casimiro also pointed out that Defensor’s promise not to increase land taxes in Quezon City is not actually new, as Belmonte has been doing it for the past three years.
“Please note that during Mayor Joy’s administration, taxes did not increase in the last three years. So Defensor’s promise is moot and old news already,” said Casimiro.
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