THE city government of Manila reported a surplus of P3.003 billion in 2023 which is P652.8 million higher than the P2.35 billion it posted the year before.
Based on the city’s financial statement, it improved its tax revenue collections year on year from P13.046 billion to P15.355 billion for a P2.31 billion increase.
The breakdown showed tax on properties grew P1.322 billion from P8.727 billion to P10.05 billion and revenues on goods and services were up P836 million from P4.007 billion to P4.05 billion.
Over the same period, earnings from fines and penalties climbed P243.62 million from P208.34 million to P271.96 million and collections from individuals and corporations inched up by P20.326 million P102.45 million to P122.78 million.
Total revenues for 2023 reached P21.29 billion including taxes, service and business income of P1.6 billion and share from the Internal Revenue Allotment of P4.25 billion.
Operating expenses on the other hand amounted to P17.46 billion, which include personnel services (P5.22 billion), maintenance and other operating expenses (P9.853 billon), non-cash expenses (P1.658 billion), and financial expenses (P731.28 million).
The city likewise provided subsidies to the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila at P328.62 million and transferred the unspent Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) Fund of P522.65 million to the trust fund to form part of the city’s Quick Response Fund.
State auditors said the city government could have realized higher revenues if not for insufficient assessment of real property taxes and special education taxes due to “misplaced application of assessment levels” and omission of 1,130 real property units in the assessment rolls.
Sampling of 474 tax maps of real properties conducted by the audit team showed there 1,130 property identification numbers (PINs) for land that were not included in the assessment rolls.
“This is an indication that not all real properties found in the field, drawn thru graphical presentation and inscribed in the tax map, were appraised and assessed for taxation purposes. Consequently, these RPUs were not included for imposition of realty taxes. Thus, deprived the city of its rightful income,” auditors said.
The audit said the biggest number of omitted real property units (RPUs) were in Paco District with 243, Malate District with 226, Pandacan with 140, and San Miguel District with 111.
In response, the city government said its tax mapping division is reviewing the 1,130 PINs found by the government auditors.
“Some of these RPUs were verified to be mother PINs which were already cancelled due to segregation of the land property. A traceback of available records is presently being conducted to identify whether these RPUs were omitted during the preparation of the General Revision 2014,” city officials added.
