Pangasinan Gears up for effective tax collection

LINGAYEN---Preparations for the fiscal decentralization of Pangasinan to make tax collection more effective and efficient has started even as the province tapped the services of some 55 data encoders to work on the computerization of the Integrated Tax-Real Property Tax Administration System (iTAX-RPTAS).
The newly-hired personnel underwent a three-day training at the Kalantiao Bldg, here last September 8-10 to start the implementation of the Itax RPTAS project.
The project is in line with a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) entered into by Gov. Amado T. Espino, Jr. with the German Technical Cooperation Agency or GTZ, a company duly incorporated under the laws of the Federal Republic of Germany.
Based on the MOA, the province and the Federal Republic of Germany agreed to improve and strengthen the good fiscal governance of the Local Government Units (LGUs) of Pangasinan through the fiscal decentralization and local financial management component of the GTZ Decentralization Program.
Gov. Espino said the decentralization program through the iTAX will improve the province’s tax assessment and collection system and increase the revenues of LGUs in real property tax, business tax and other local fees including non-taxable revenues.
The Governor said that through this program, we will be able to get accurate tax payment and enforce proper tax collection.
As this developed, Modesto Singson, Chief of the Management Information Systems, said the RPTAS Computer Software Programs were installed in the 52 computer sets which will be used for data entry operations that started last September 13 in Lingayen.
He said the data entry processing of an estimated 792, 253 lot parcels for the whole province is projected to end by July 2011.
The technical staff from GTZ-iTAX team composed of two technical staff from the provincial government of Negros Oriental assisted and supervised the data encoders during the training.
Pangasinan is the sixth province in the Philippines to be chosen by the Federal Republic of Germany through the GTZ for the program grant.