Councilor Lumapas: Market vendors’ laint on taxes politically motivated

CEBU, Philippines – Mandaue City Councilor Jimmy Lumapas believed that the market vendors' complaint on the alleged excessive taxes is politically motivated. "Unsa man diay na? Klaro na kaayo (that it's politically motivated), election time na man," he said.

Lumapas, who headed the market committee, said he has been in regular contact with these vendors and he never heard about this complaint from them before last week.

Last Friday, some officials of the Mandaue Public Market Stallholder Vendors Association led by its president Moling Sasing went to the media to air their complaint on what they believed was exorbitant business permit fees collected from them by the city goverment.

Sasing said the gross sales they declared would increase by 200 to 300 percent after assessment by the City Treasurer's Department, and this will result in an increase in taxes also.

The MPMSVA is one of the three market vendors associations in the Mandaue public market and, of the more than 700 vendors there, Sasing claimed that 300 of them belonged to his group.

Lumapas earlier said he would be willing to talk with the vendors on the issue but only if they would request for it.

The press conference with the vendors was organized by a certain Emy Bustillo, a media liaison man of Councilor Emarie Dizon, who is now running for mayor under the opposition.

The present composition of Mandaue City officials is dominated by  Liberal Party members, from the mayor down to the vice mayor and several councilors.

However, 67-year-old vendor Terry Calo, showed to the media a number of P100 and P20 bills and loose coins purportedly from fellow vendors who contributed for the press conference expenses.

Teary-eyed Calo said they came reportedly with their valid complaint and bereft of political color. She however admitted that she was already done with Mayor Jonas Cortes whose presence they have not felt in the market for a long time.

Earlier City Treasurer  Regal Oliva clarified that since the vendors could not produce receipts to support their claims that their sales are low, her office's own assessment must be followed.

Oliva however, said they can always file a tax protest if they feel that their taxes are more than what they should be paying and, when the assessment proves that they are right, the excess will be credited to the following year's taxes. (FREEMAN NEWS)