BIZ PERMIT RENEWAL. Photo shows the Tacloban City Hall. The city government here has extended the deadline for all business permits and licenses transactions from January 20 to January 31, 2020. (PNA file photo)
TACLOBAN CITY -- The city government here has extended the deadline for all business permits and licenses transactions from January 20 to January 31, 2020.
Through an amendatory ordinance approved on January 15, all business renewal transactions will be processed until the end of the month without penalties, interests, and surcharges.
In a statement, Mayor Alfred Romualdez urged business owners on Monday to transact their permits and licenses as soon as possible as the extension will not get another extension after this month.
“The law says up to the 20th of January only. Before, the deadline is extended until the end of February and it’s too long. I am telling you now we will not do that,” Romualdez said.
The city government has pulled out personnel from other departments to boost manpower in the ongoing business permit renewal.
Vice Mayor Jerry Yaokasin said the local government code and the city revenue code allow the city council for a justifiable reason, or cause to extend the time for payment of local business taxes, licenses, fees, or charges without surcharges or penalties but not to more than six months from January 20.
Yaokasin recalled that when Typhoon Ursula hit the region on December 24, 2019, the city’s businesses were affected during the peak of the Christmas season due to extended power interruptions.
Tacloban city was placed under the state of calamity on December 27 after the typhoon left a trail of destruction.
The Business Permits and Licenses Division (BPLD) said over 7,000 permits are expected to be processed and renewed this year.
Clients can process their permits at the “Business One-Stop-Shop” located at the ground level of the new city hall building where all concerned offices in the business renewal accessible are housed under one roof.
A team will personally guide each client with a strict “no contact” policy.
“Especially the assessors, they are not allowed to engage with the client. If the client has a complaint or has an appeal on their assessment then, they will be handled by a different team from the finance. We want to avoid corruption and save time,” Romualdez said.
The renewal requirements include the 2020 barangay (village) clearance, business clearance, mayor’s permit, business plate, valid identification card, and special power of attorney if a representative of the business owner will process the documents.
The city government assured that “clients are not overcharged, and the city also is not underpaid,” urging them to renew their permits on or before the deadline to avoid penalties and surcharges.
The law states that non-renewal of business permits within the renewal period constitutes a 25-percent surcharge of the total amount due, plus an additional of two percent every month of delay until settlement.
The BPLD is open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays. (PNA)
