Quezon City Mayor Herbert Baustista said the government will file a motion for reconsideration following the Supreme Court’s decision to stop the city government from implementing an ordinance that is aimed at revising the city’s real property tax scheme.
Bautista said on Wednesday that they have yet to receive a copy of the SC decision but added that he welcomes the decision.
“We have yet to receive an official copy of the decision but the Quezon City government welcomes the development,” he said.
Bautista said they will explain to the SC that the ordinance they passed was a product of a series of public consultations.
Quezon City is confident that the high court will eventually rule in its favor.
“We pray that the Supreme Court decides on the matter at the soonest possible time so as not to hamper the delivery of basic services in the city,” Bautista added.
Bautista said Quezon City was compelled to adjust fair market values of real properties after the Department of Finance and the Commission on Audit directed the city government to implement the long-delayed adjustment as mandated by Section 219 of Republic Act 7160 or the Local Government Code of 1991.
The Finance department also issued Joint Memorandum Circular 2010-01 enjoining all LGUs to implement Section 219 of the Local Government Code which requires the City Assessor to implement a general revision of tax rates every three years.
Prior to the enactment of City Ordinance 20CC-141, the last approved general revision of fair market values was made in 1995.
Bautista said the value of land in Quezon City is lower than those in Caloocan City, Makati City, Pasay City, Mandaluyong City and San Juan City.
In an earlier statement, City Assessor Rodolfo Ordanes said the failure to comply with the Local Government Code might subject city officials to lawsuits.
Bautista said the city government is confident that the justices will eventually realize that Quezon City had complied with all the requirements of the Local Government Code before green-lighting the implementation of the ordinance.
He said the assessors of all of Quezon City’s revenue districts agreed with the proposed adjustment and a report on the matter was submitted by the Office of the City Assessor to the Mayor’s Office.
The City Assessor’s report was then presented by Bautista to the city government’s finance committee which endorsed the matter to the City Council for action.
The City Council for its part, thoroughly reviewed the proposed adjustment.
The City Council’s Committee on Ways and Means, together with the Office of the City Assessor, conducted 29 public consultations in the barangay level where the proposal was directly presented to the city’s residents.
