The Makati City government is about to generate P1.7 billion in additional revenue from auctioning off properties of those who failed to settle tax obligation.
Owners of these properties have remained delinquent despite several notices, including public notices in the newspapers.
City Treasurer Jesusa Cuneta said the amount will boost the revenue collections of Makati, particularly from real property tax (RPT), which already exceeded the full-year target as of end-July.
“The auction is expected to generate a substantial amount of revenue that will put the city way above its target for real property tax, as well as the total target for the year. Nevertheless, we continue to exert effort to notify concerned real property owners of the impending public auction,” Cuneta said.
As of July 31, the city had attained 83 percent of its full-year revenue target of P17.1 billion with its total collections reaching P14.2 billion. Of this, P4.8 billion came from real property tax, which surpassed the target of P4.7 billion by over one percent.
Cuneta said the delinquent properties to be put up for auction are those “without restrictions”, and are listed on the Notice of Real Property Tax Delinquency published recently in a newspaper of general circulation in compliance with Section 254 of the Local Government Code (Republic Act 7160).
“We wish to remind all concerned property owners to immediately settle their dues to avoid losing their properties. They have been given several notices through mail and public announcements in the newspapers. If they still fail to take action, we will have no recourse but to auction off their properties,” Cuneta said.
The city official also reminded new owners of real property in the city to prioritize the updating of official records, including the registration of the transfer of ownership and updating of the tax declaration with the Assessment Department (Assessor’s Office) at the 2nd floor of Makati City Hall.
“We urge new real property owners in the city to put their records with City Hall in order, so that they will be able to receive official notices and pay the correct taxes on time. Otherwise, they will incur penalties that could have been easily avoided, and worse, they risk losing their investments altogether,” Cuneta said.
Based on the records of the Assessment Department and the City Treasurer’s Office, the notice of delinquency published recently includes 1,671 delinquent properties in 30 barangays of the city to date. Among the barangays with delinquent properties are Bangkal with 21 delinquent properties; Bel-Air, 151; Carmona, eight; Dasmariñas, 19; Cembo, 82; South Cembo, 21; Comembo, 49; Pembo, 22; Pitogo, 49; East Rembo, 56; West Rembo, 18;
Guadalupe Nuevo, 94; Guadalupe Viejo, 51; Kasilawan, 21; La Paz, 92; Magallanes, 19; Olympia, 28; Palanan, 85; Pinagkaisahan, 20; Pio del Pilar, 166; Poblacion, 137; San Antonio, 18; San Isidro, 90; San Lorenzo, 88; Singkamas, 21; Sta. Cruz, 23; Tejeros, 87; Urdaneta, 19; Valenzuela, 20; and Rizal, 96.
According to the City Treasurer’s Office, at any time before the seizure of the personal property, payment of the realty tax inclusive of surcharges, interests, and penalties may be made. These include a two percent monthly interest on the unpaid amount or a fraction thereof until the outstanding tax has been fully paid.
Under the Local Government Code, the title of the property sold at a public auction will be vested in the purchaser, subject, however, to the right of the owner of the delinquent property or any person having legal interest to redeem the property within one year from the date of sale.
For inquiries, concerned entities may visit the Makati City Treasurer’s Office located at the 3rd floor of the Makati City Hall Main Building or call at 870-1301/899-8946. They may also call the Real Property Tax Division at 870-1396/870-1398/899-8867.
Based on the records of the Realty Tax Division, the city has published notices for around 3,962 delinquent taxpayers in the newspapers since 2018.
