Makati gov’t offices extend operating hours to accept renewal of permits, tax payments

Makati City’s Business Permits and Licensing Office (BPLO) will be open after office hours and on weekends until January 20 to accommodate the surge of applications for renewal of business permits and tax payments, Mayor Abigail Binay said Thursday.

The mayor earlier authorized the concerned offices to render overtime services to extend the offices’ operating hours.

“We have planned ahead for the greater convenience of our taxpayers, whom we highly value as our indispensable partners in sustaining Makati’s rapid economic growth and overall development,” Binay said in a statement.

According to BPLO chief Maribert Pagente, the office’s schedule will be as follows:

January 3 to 5 – 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

January 6 and 7 – 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

January 8 to 12 – 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

January 13 and 14 – 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

January 15 to 19 – 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

January 20 – 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Pagente urged business owners to beat the January 20 deadline to avoid the penalties on late payments, which include a 25-percent surcharge and a two-percent penalty per month of delay until the amount due is fully settled.

Binay also ordered the Finance Department to provide free lunch to the first 200 business taxpayers daily from Monday to Friday only, starting January 8 until January 19.

Meanwhile, the Realty Tax Division has announced that satellite payment centers for real property taxes (RPT) are scheduled to accept payments in 31 barangays, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., as follows:

January 3 and 4 – Bel-Air

January 3 – Urdaneta

January 4 and 5 – Dasmariñas

January 6 – Forbes Park

January 5 and 8 – San Lorenzo

January 6 and 8 – Magallanes

January 9 – Bangkal, Pio del Pilar, San Isidro, Palanan, and San Antonio

January 10 – La Paz, Sta. Cruz, Singkamas, Tejeros, and Kasilawan

January 11 – Carmona, Olympia, Valenzuela, Poblacion, and Guadalupe Viejo

January 12 – Guadalupe Nuevo, Pinagkaisahan, Pitogo, Cembo, and South Cembo

January 15 – West Rembo, East Rembo, Comembo, Pembo, and Rizal

Under the Makati Revenue Code, discounts are given to non-delinquent taxpayers, as follows: 10 percent for full year RPT payments made until January 20, and five-percent discount for prompt quarterly payments (Quarter 1 until January 20; Quarter 2 until April 20; Quarter 3 until July 20; and Quarter 4 until October 20).

Annual RPT payments made after March will incur an eight-percent penalty on the first quarter, and two percent on every succeeding month. For late quarterly RPT payments (made after the last day of the quarter, i.e., March 31, June 30, September 30, December 31), an eight-percent penalty will be imposed for that quarter, and two percent on every succeeding month.

For miscellaneous fees and taxes, the deadline for professional tax payments is on January 31, while the deadline for payments on Community Tax, both corporate and individual, is on February 28.

The Miscellaneous Division will be extending work hours, as follows:

January 3 to 5 – 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.

January 6 and 7 – 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

January 8 to 12 – 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

January 13 and 14 – 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

January 15 to 19 – 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

January 20 and 21 – 8 a.m.to 7 p.m.

January 22 to 26 – 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

January 27 and 28 – 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

January 29 and 31 – 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.