THE Central Board of Assessment Appeals (CBAA) resolved cases raised by local government units (LGUs) last year involving an estimated P4.53 billion worth of real property taxes, the Department of Finance (DoF) said Thursday.
Twenty-two cases remain pending after hearings were suspended at the height of the lockdown last year, according to the DoF, citing a report from CBAA Chairman Robert Hernando Tobia.
Of the 16 resolved cases received by the board, nine were from Mindanao, four from Visayas and three in Luzon.
Republic Act No. 7160 or the Local Government Code, created the CBAA as an independent, quasi-judicial body to rule on assessment and collection cases brought by municipalities, cities and provinces.
Mr. Tobia said in his report that six of the resolved cases are awaiting rulings from the Court of Tax Appeals.
The DoF said several Local Boards of Assessment Appeals (LBAAs) remain inactive or have yet to be organized, “depriving taxpayers of real property tax remedies and procedures that should be available to them.”
Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III said the CBAA should work with the Department of the Interior and Local Government to help organize LBAAs even during quarantine. — Beatrice M. Laforga