Pay your real property taxes or face public auction
BY BOY RYAN B. ZABAL

KALIBO, Aklan – The Provincial Treasurer’s Office has urged delinquent taxpayers in the province to pay their real property taxes or face auction.
Provincial Treasurer Suzette Pioquid said the provincial government will conduct auction sale of real properties with delinquent tax payments on December 15, 2010.
“Tax property delinquent payers must settle their tax obligations for the last five years or we will include their real properties on the auction block,” she said during the Governor’s Report to the People.
Aklan Governor Carlito Marquez stressed the provincial government has been aggressive in its tax collections to fund vital basic services for the constituents.
“The properties with tax delinquencies would be auctioned if the owners failed their settle their obligations. The local treasurers have been reminding the owners to pay their tax arrears for the past few years,” the governor added.
Sections 260 and 263 of Republic Act 7160 otherwise known as the Local Government Code of 1991 allows the local government units to auction the properties, although, the delinquent taxpayer within one year from the forfeiture date may redeem the property by paying to the local treasurer the full amount of the real property tax and the related interest and the costs of sale.
If the property is not redeemed after the one-year redemption period, the ownership is fully vested on the local government unit.
Pioquid said the local treasurers are giving notices to those taxpayers reminding them to pay their tax due as soon as possible. The treasurer’s office also made the announcement in local radio stations and newspapers for the collection of the real property taxes.

"The provincial government has condoned the payment of real property taxes six months after the Typhoon Frank devastation on June 2008. It is now time for property owners to pay their taxes due to the government," Pioquid said.

The condonation of penalty and charges under the Provincial Ordinance No. 02-2008 covers all interests, penalties and surcharges from June 1, 2008 to December 31, 2008 on payment of delinquent taxes of real properties from 1985 to 2007.