PJ Garcia bats for tax relief in Cebu province

Local

FORMER Cebu 3rd District Rep. Pablo John “PJ” Garcia says the country is too fixated on the Vice President’s impeachment to notice that Cebuano families are still reeling from high prices.

That’s why he’s pushing a province-wide tax rollback to address it.

“Inflation is still high, prices are still high, and every family in Cebu feels it,” Garcia said. “And yet here we are, so caught up in the impeachment of the Vice President, when the statistics are staring us right in the face.”

Provincial inflation eased to 12.4 percent in June from 13.6 percent in May, he noted, while Cebu City’s rate remains elevated at 13.7 percent, only marginally down from 16.1 percent.

In response, Garcia is lobbying for a province-wide rollback of real property taxes, transfer taxes, and sand and gravel fees, arguing that broad-based relief, not targeted dole-outs, is the fairest aid the provincial government can offer.

He called the proposal “ayuda nga walay pili, ayuda nga dili linyahan,” and said he intends to push the measure “in whatever capacity” he can serve.

Garcia drew a direct comparison to the provincial government’s reported readiness to grant cement manufacturer Apo Cement a P1-billion tax discount, saying the same generosity should extend to ordinary taxpayers.

“If we can give a billion in tax relief to a single corporation, then we should be rolling back tax rates for all Cebuanos,” he said.

The former lawmaker is also calling for real property taxes to return to pre-pandemic levels.

“Rollback is better than piecemeal assistance. Kini para sa tanan, dili para sa pipila lang (This is for everyone, not just a few),” he said.

With food and fuel costs already squeezing household budgets, he added, heavier tax burden is the last thing families need.

On sand and gravel fees, Garcia said the material’s role in nearly all construction, from major developments to home repairs, gives a rollback a wider “domino effect” on the local economy.

Lower fees, he said, would bring down material prices and, in turn, construction costs for both large developers and ordinary families building homes.

“Ang benepisyo moabot dili lang sa dagkong negosyante, kon dili sa matag pamilyang Cebuano (The benefit will reach not just big businessmen, but every Cebuano family),” he said.(RBE)