Iloilo City to automate tax payments

ILOILO CITY – The city’s tax payment system will be fully automated in the first or second quarter of this year. Local Economic and Investment Promotions Office (LEIPO) head Ritchell Gavan said the digital transformation of the city’s tax payment system has been its goal and “hopefully by the first or 2nd quarter of 2018 the platform for online payment of taxes will take effect.”

Gavan said that once the system is operational, taxpayers can go to any bank or 7/11 convenience store to pay.

Gavan said the recognition of Iloilo City by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) in 2016 as one of the country’s digital cities encouraged the city government to launch its automation program.

Gavan said the city’s digital transformation opened the door for partnerships to boost its various programs. For one, Iloilo has teamed with Microsoft Southeast Asia that committed its support to the city’s digital initiatives, she said.

Last December, Iloilo launched ILOVation (Iloilo and Innovation), a program that aims to create a sustainable society through technology.

“We partnered with schools to come up with technologies or applications for disaster reduction management and other areas,” Gavan said.

ILOVation involves two categories – the barangay-based and for businesses. “We need to establish resiliencyfor both. We want something that helps the barangays during disasters and calamities and for business and investment efficiency for the city,” Gavan said.