RDP Chapter 15
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This document discusses ensuring a sound macroeconomic policy in the SOCCSKSARGEN region of the Philippines. It covers fiscal policy, monetary policy, and financial and trade policy. For fiscal policy, it notes the need for LGUs to update their real property tax assessments and broaden their local revenue bases. Monetary policy aims to ensure price stability and support growth through the regional banking system. Financial and trade policy focuses on improving access to markets and financing for MSMEs. Key challenges include outdated tax systems, lack of financial inclusion, and an uncompetitive business environment. Priority strategies involve professionalizing tax assessment, expanding access to banking, and promoting Islamic finance and MSME competitiveness.
RDP Chapter 15
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- 5. Chapter 15 Ensuring Sound Macroeconomic Policy 115 Chapter 15 Ensuring Sound Macroeconomic Policy A stable, sound, and supportive macroeconomic environment is essential for ex- panding economic opportunities and fostering sustained growth. A fiscal sec- tor that is responsible, strategic, and supportive of inclusive growth can boost the economy and provide a stable environment that is conducive to investments. Monetary policy that ensures price stability with a stable and inclusive finan- cial sector can support growth and improve access to economic opportunities. A strategic external trade policy regime enables regional and local enterprises to successfully compete in global markets and provide employment opportunities for the people of the region. SOUND MACROECONOMIC POLICY Fiscal policy is the use of government spending and taxation to influence the economy. Governments typically use fiscal policy to promote strong and sustainable growth and reduce poverty. In the longer term, the aim may be to nurture sustainable growth or reduce poverty with actions on the supply side to improve infrastructure or education. At the sub regional level, local government units are the main drivers of development and the implementers of public financial management reforms to strengthen linkage between the plan/ investment program and budget and to ensure viability of local economic enterprises and public utilities. In a nationwide study commissioned by the Department of Finance-Bureau of Local Government Finance (DOF-BLGF), 62 of 80 provinces use outdated basis for collecting real property tax (RPT). About 5 in every 8 of them have property tax contributing only Fiscal Policy less than 5 percent to their annual regular income. Meanwhile, 4 in every 5 cities use outdated bases for collecting RPT. If fully enforced and properly administered, RPT is a progressive and stable source of revenues to be shared to municipalities, barangays, and local school boards. Under the 1991 Local Government Code (LGC), RPT should be based on a Schedule of Market Values (SMVs) that is fair, current, and updated. Provinces and cities are required to update the SMV and to conduct general revision of property assessment and classification once every three years. However, several provinces failed to comply with this provision. When LGUs fail to update their SMVs, they result to limited revenues to the government and cause unjust burden to taxpayers. Seven in every ten provinces have not fully developed their local revenue base. To be effective in nation-building, LGUs are given powersbytheLGCtogeneratelocalincomes to fund basic services. But after more than Assessment
- 6. 116 | SOCCSKSARGEN Regional Development Plan 2017-2022 Table 43: Local Revenue Collection, 2011-2015, Region XII Source of data: * DOF-BLGF XII ** BIR RR No. 18 Area Total Population Urban Population % Urban Region XII 4,109,571 1,911,253 46.5 Cotabato 1,226,508 292,864 23.9 South Cotabato 827,200 408,651 49.4 Sarangani 498,904 194,607 39.00 Sultan Kudarat 747,087 254,255 34.03 20 years of fiscal decentralization, locally sourced income still have very little to the annual regular income of provinces. The rest of the regular income are mandatory shares from the IRA and other national government revenues. Among the provinces in Region XII, only the province of Cotabato has an updated real property assessment for the period 2013-2015. Among local governments, cities have the most taxing powers to general local income to fund the basic social services. But most cities with more than 10 years of cityhood still rely less on their locally sourced income. Cities have better leverage than other local governments when it comes to funding education services. The allowable RPT rate is higher (up to 2%) and the basis for such tax is broader due to high-value properties brought about by commercial and economic activities in cities. In addition to the RPT, cities also collect the additional 1 percent levy, known as the Special Education Fund (SEF), to be used for the operations and sports development as required by the LGC. The SEF is automatically released to the City School Board. The additional 1 percent levy is based on the Schedule of Market Values of the LGU, which is required by law to be updated every three years. Among the cities in Region XII, only Tacurong City has an updated real property assessment for the period 2013-2015. Real property tax collection (RPTC) in the region decreased by 8.9 percent in 2012 but started to pick up in 2013. It started to increase in 2013 and posted an average annual growth of 7.1 percent between 2013 up to 2015. The average collection efficiency rate is 69.9 percent. South Cotabato consistently topped the annual collection followed by General Santos City and North Cotabato. Koronadal City consistently registered the highest collection efficiency rate in 2011-2015 with annual average of about 135.17 percent. In 2015, local income sources mainly came from business taxes which is 56.9 percent of Local Income Generation the total income collection, followed by fees and charges at 29.9 percent, and economic enterprise posting 13.1 percent. General Santos City recorded the highest collection for business taxes as well as from economic enterprises. Cotabato Province recorded the highest collections for fees and charges. Information drive, tax mapping, close monitoring on tax compliance, “Oplan Kandado”, support to RIP, campaign against tax evaders through RATE (Run Against Tax Evaders) were undertaken to increase internal revenue collection. Actual revenue collection showed an increasing trend from P3,635 million in 2011 to P8,049 million in 2015, posting an average annual growth of 30.4 percent during the period.
- 7. Chapter 15 Ensuring Sound Macroeconomic Policy 117 Monetary policy as exercised by the central bank (Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas) controls the supply of money, often targeting a lower inflation rate or interest rate to ensure price stability and general trust in the currency. At the regional level, monetary policy impacts on the resiliency of banks and other financial intermediaries that provide incentives to influence the decision of individuals and enterprises to invest and save more. Increased levels of savings Monetary Policy would allow resources that can be made available for public investments as well as for financing development activities. As of 2015, there are 197 banks established in Region XII. Of the total banks established, about53.0percentareuniversal/commercial banks, 30.0 percent are rural banks, 13.0 percent are thrift banks, and around 4.0 percent are cooperative banks. In terms of location, General Santos City hosts the most number with 58 banks, followed by Cotabato Province with 45 banks, while Sarangani having the least with 9 banks. Table 46: Banking and Financial System, Region XII, 2015 Source of data: Banko Sentral ng Pilipinas Indicator Actual 2015 Target Growth (%) Gap 2015 2014 Number of banks and financial institutions established 221 205 199 7.8 22 Loan portfolios (In Billion Pesos) 29.32 26.57 22.96 10.3 6.36 Deposit liabilities (In Billion Pesos) 88.62 74.82 73.9 18.4 14.72 For the period 2011 to 2015, regional inflation rates had been maintained at less than 5.0 percent annually. For the plan period 2017 to 2022, inflation is targeted to be less that 5 percent. The government committed to provide better market access for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) by mainstreaming their products in commercial establishments, particularly those from the agriculture sector. It also urged the business sector to continue helping the government beat poverty. To Financial and Trade Policy usher this initiative, mall chains are tapped to provide commercial spaces where MSME products from local government units can be purchased by mall-goers. With the “Go Lokal” stores stationed at mall-chains, agricultural products will become a regular fixture in malls. The initiative will serve as a model that can provide sustainable market for the agriculture sector, especially poor farmers. Financing support shall be provided for micro and small entrepreneurs. Challenges Fiscal Policy • Poor implementation of local revenue enhancement measures. • Less reliable revenue forecasts due to outdated Local Revenue Codes and Schedule of Market Values.
- 8. 118 | SOCCSKSARGEN Regional Development Plan 2017-2022 creating a more business-friendly environment. • Untapped Islamic banking and finance. Considering the diversity of people in the region, Islamic banking and finance could be tapped in advancing financial inclusion. It will play an important role in poverty-stricken areas mainly populated by indigenous peoples. Monetary Policy • Inadequate information dissemination on the value of saving since most of the population in the region have not developed the value of saving. • Absence of financial and other credit facilities in some areas in the provinces in the region. • Lack of awareness on how to mobilize savings to finance development programs. Priority Strategy The following are the priority strategies of the DOF-BLGF to enhance the revenue- generating capacity of LGUs which include the review of the fiscal provisions of the 1991 Local Government Code to consider amendments on tax assignments and revenue mandates and the review of current regulations on utilization of national transfers, local fiscal incentives, and subnational borrowing. Among the interventions being undertaken are the following: • Professionalization Law including government appraisers and assessors (under the Real Estate Service Act or Republic Act No. 9646). • Issuance of directive by the Secretary of Finance to all local treasurers to step up revenue collections and to the assessors to update property values and adopt idle land tax. • Electronic Statement of Receipts and Expenditures, with sanctions for non- compliant treasurers. • LGU Fiscal Sustainability Scorecard, Publication of Fiscal Performance of LGUs and Tax Watch Advertisements. • Performance Standards for Local Treasurers (forthcoming). • Updating of Treasury and Assessment Operations Manuals (ongoing). • Scaling up of land governance and valuation reforms in more LGUs. • Capacity building programs on updating of property values. • Weak linkage between the development plans and the budget. • Heavily subsidized local economic enterprises. • High reliance on Internal Revenue Allotment. • Low compliance with procurement laws. Financial and Trade Policy • High cost of doing business due to poor infrastructure facilities, unstable power supply, and inefficient business permit and licensing system. • Slow in implementing institutional and economic reforms and failure to put up measures to make the region ready in time for the ASEAN integration in 2015 despite the participation of Region XII in the BIMP-EAGA regional economic cooperation. • Low competitiveness among industries as well as local government units in Fiscal Policy
- 9. Chapter 15 Ensuring Sound Macroeconomic Policy 119 Monetary Policy • Conduct campaign to enhance awareness of the basic and vulnerable sector of society of the importance of banking and saving. • Establishment of banking institutions in municipalities without banks or establish additional banks in adjacent municipalities to provide wider access to banking services. • Provision of livelihood through less stringent micro-financing loan facility to farmers, fisher folks, women and other basic sector groups. • Strengthen cooperatives and closely monitor their operations to prevent bankruptcy. Financial and Trade Policy • Facilitation of continuous market access for MSME products, especially in the agriculture sector. • Participation in competitiveness survey and sustaining MSME development to facilitate adaptation of business standards to enhance industry competitiveness. • Provision of technical and financial assistance to help the startup of promising MSMEs. • Tapping Islamic banking and finance as a tool for advancing financial inclusion Legislative Agenda Fiscal Policy There is a need to prioritize the following key legislation pending in Congress: • Valuation Reform Bill: recentralize the approval of property valuations • Income Classification Bill for the Secretary of Finance to set income brackets and to regularly reclassify local governments every 3 years • Bill increasing the income requirement for creation of cities from Php100M to Php250M (which may be increased every 3 years) • Continuous monitoring/technical assistance through oversight agencies: improve accountability and transparency, more capacity building for resource mobilization, harmonize PFM tools at the local levels, among others • Focus on rural areas/local governments with high poverty incidence Financial and Trade Policy • Address the regulatory and supervisory framework of Islamic banking and finance so that it can be utilized as a tool for promoting financial inclusion of poverty-stricken areas populated by indigenous peoples and ethnic groups. • Setting up microfinance products tailored to the needs of target basic sector groups
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