Councilor bats for hike in QC real property tax

A Quezon City councilor is pushing for a 0.05 percent additional fee on real properties worth more than P100,000 to fund socialized housing projects for informal settlers.

Councilor Edcel Lagman said his  proposed ordinance on additional taxes would enable the city government to buy properties to house  squatter families in the city.

“The imposition of taxes  is intended to provide the city government with sufficient funds to initiate, implement and undertake socialized housing programs and other related activities,” he said.

This means that for  real property valued at P100,000, an additional fee of P500 will be paid by its owner.

Records from the city secretary showed that the proposed measure was approved in a plenary session recently.

Lagman said he hoped the ordinance would generate revenues of at least P190 million per year, which can be used for housing projects for informal settlers.

“The removal of urban blight will definitely increase the fair market value of properties in Quezon City,” the  measure stated.

Funds from the additional taxes can be used to buy land, improve existing socialized housing facilities or construct new ones.

Apart from setting aside funds for housing projects, the measure also hopes to break the cycle of squatting practices of  informal settlers and poor families.

“The underground informal settler economy will now be institutionalized and will be a viable contributor to the economy. Urban poor families will realize that they have a stake in the city’s future because Quezon City invested on them through this ordinance,” the city councilor said.

Lagman also noted the “initially tough opposition from homeowners” which he said was addressed through three public hearings.

“If we aim to be a quality city, all sectors should reap the benefits of sound fiscal policies and the blessings of a robust local economy. The urban poor sector should be not be left behind while the sectors which have greater access to basic social services continue to widen the divide between the haves and the have-nots,” he added.’