Kalibo, Malay ink pacts for E-TRACS roll-out

BY BOY RYAN B. ZABAL

Two towns in Aklan signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the provincial government of Aklan as pilot areas for the implementation of Enhanced Tax Revenue Assessment and Collection System (E-TRACS).

The pilot towns of Kalibo and Malay have been selected for the E-TRACS which seeks to automate and enhance the revenue generation through computerized system in the assessment and collection of taxes and fees.

To formalize the roll-out of ETRACS, Kalibo mayor William Lachica and Malay mayor John Yap recently signed the MOA with Aklan Governor Florencio Miraflores at the Provincial Governor’s Office in Kalibo, Aklan. 

E-TRACS is designed for local government units as a component of the financial and technical grants from the Australian Aid for International Development (AusAid) program through the Philippines Provincial Road Management Facility (PRMF).

Miraflores said the E-TRACS covers the integrated computerization of tax collection, real property assessment and business permits in pilot municipalities and in the roll-out municipalities in Aklan.

For his part, Mayor Lachica said the collaboration project of LGUs and the agencies on ETRACs will further improve the capability of the municipalities to deliver the efficient, progressive and effective monitoring and collection of fees and taxes. 

Under the MOA, the pilot municipalities will have to establish IT offices and to ensure funding are available for computers, network cabling and networking infrastructure and computer maintenance.

The provincial government will also oversee and organize the implementation of E-TRACs and will provide technical assistance to the municipalities.