Western Visayas provinces are IRA dependent, Aklan is least dependent to IRA

BY BOY RYAN B. ZABAL

The six provinces in Western Visayas are still highly dependent to the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA).

For the fiscal year 2013, more than 80 percent or P5,704,740,305 of the local government units (LGUs) financial resources were sourced from IRA. 

IRA is the LGUs share of revenues from the Philippine national government to fund basic services and facilities. It is the lifeblood of LGUs to sustain their operations, programs and projects.

The region’s six provinces annual regular income was estimated at P6,780,026,789 last year, according to the latest Tax Watch of the Department of Finance. 

 

The least dependent on the IRA among the country’s 80 provinces is Aklan with 45.3 percent of its income sourced from local taxes and other non-tax revenues. 

Aklan province had a yearly regular income of P1,086,539,625, about 54.7 percent or P594,784,304 were sourced from its IRA and P491,755,321 from locally sourced income. 

The province of Capiz was the most dependent IRA with 92.20 percent or P731,991,175 of its total financial resources of   P793,924,510 sourced out from the national government revenues.

The report also noted that most of the provinces in the region also received larger IRA because of their big population and land area.

Although Iloilo province had an annual regular income of P1,539,102,476, the biggest chunk of its income or around 91.5 percent or P1,408,785,600 was derived from IRA.

Data from DoF also showed that 8.5 percent of Iloilo provincial income or P130,316,876 was generated from local sources.

Negros Occidental also depended heavily on IRA with P1,877,596,143 or 88.8 percent of its P2,114,579,794 annual regular income.

Antique province also got 88.2 percent or P764,439,219 of its total internal funds from IRA.

Antique generated P866,574,225 income last year, but only 11.8 percent or P102,135,006 from local sources for the same period. 

Guimaras province also sourced its revenues amounting to P327,143,864 or 86.2 percent from IRA. It generated P379,306,159 income last year, of which 13.8 percent or P52,162,295 was derived from its own revenue resources.