Mandaue City College should pay taxes — Oliva

The Mandaue City Treasurer’s Office has recommended the closure of the Mandaue City College headed by Dr. Paulus Cañete for failing to pay business taxes and regulatory fees.

Regal Oliva, Mandaue City treasurer, said he already endorsed his recommendation to close the school to the City Legal Office headed by lawyer Giovanni Tianero.

Oliva said a city college under a local government must give monthly reports on revenue generation to the City Treasurer’s Office.

But MCC under Cañete, Oliva claimed, failed to do this.

He said the school was considered a private institution, which should pay taxes and regulatory fees to the local government.

Cañete, in an earlier interview, said the school would give the City Treasurer’s Office a copy of the City Ordinance creating the MCC last November 2005, which was approved by then Mayor Thadeo Ouano.

As local government school, Cañete said it should be exempted from paying taxes.

But Oliva said he had sent letters to the office of Cañete but he did not receive any reply yet.

He instead received letters from the school’s student Supreme Council president and dean of information technology asking him not to close their school.

Oliva said he gave Cañete enough time to present the documents to prove that the school was a nonstock and nonprofit institution but he didn’t present anything.

Without these documents, Oliva said he considered the school a private institution.

“I am treating them as private institution without the documents needed. So they have to pay taxes,” he added.

Aside from action against MCC, Oliva also recommended the closure of the Navigator bar for failing to pay amusement taxes./Reporter Jucell Marie P. Cuyos