Local Treasury’s office to auction 2,000  properties with tax arrears worth PHP94,531,651

The South Cotabato Provincial Capitol. (Photo courtesy of South Cotabato PIO)

KORONADAL CITY – The Provincial Treasurer’s Office (PTO) of South Cotabato will conduct an auction sale for some 2,000 properties with arrears in real property tax (RPT).

In a statement Thursday, PTO local tax operation officer Zenaida Erum said they have already published in local newspapers the real properties with unpaid taxes that are about to be auctioned on Nov. 22 this year.

Most of the properties are agricultural and residential lands.

She said they also have commercial lots, commercial buildings and residential buildings.

She noted that the owners of the delinquent properties have a total tax due of PHP94,531,651.

“The biggest number included in our publication are the 508 properties with unpaid taxes in the municipality of Norala,” Erum said.

PTO has also discovered that the RPT of some agricultural lands that were published was not paid since the 1960s.

“Although some of these lands were inherited, the record from the Assessor’s Office shows they are still in the name of the original owners. The new owners are not aware of their undue taxes, some of them were surprised when they received the notice,” she explained.

Erum appealed to the delinquent real property owners, especially those who received the notice, to consult with the PTO or the nearest Municipal Treasurer’s Office.

“Delinquent taxpayers need to update their payment and must know what to do to prevent the auction sale of their properties,” she said.

As standard procedure, local government units are obligated to publish in a newspaper the list of the properties identified before the auction sale.

A final demand letter must be issued to the owner and will be followed by a warrant of levy if no payment or settlement is made.

A warrant of levy means that a delinquent real property has been attached to the name of the local government.

The property owners are given time to settle the tax delinquency upon receipt of the warrant. Failure to pay means the forfeited property will be published before the scheduled auction. (PNA)