GROs slam City Hall for professional tax

January 21, 2010

By Lizanilla J. Amarga

KTV-bar guests relations officers who are popularly known as “GROs” yesterday voiced complaints on how City Hall continues to impose a P150.00 professional tax on them every year.
Ma. Sandra Laborte and Linda Wagas who are both GROs of a popular KTV bar voiced strong convictions that they should be exempted by the City Government of Cagayan de Oro from paying professional tax.
For them, only lawyers and those who took professional licensure exams with the Professional Regulatory Commission (PRC) should be levied with professional tax.
“Ang mga secretary, karpentero ug security guards nganong wala man lagi na sila gipabayad ug professional tax parehas namo? (Why do secretaries, carpenters and security guards do not pay professional tax as we do?),” Laborte asked.
Both Laborte and Wagas presented to Mindanao Gold Star Daily their PTRs saying that other GROs from sing-a-long bars and other entertainment clubs in the city are also complaining about this professional tax being collected from them.
They said the P150.00 that they paid as their professional tax could have been used to buy them more food and medicines considering the current economic crisis.
“Maayo nalang unta dugang sa para palit ug gatas para sa among mga kauban nga dunay mga anak na (The P150.00 professional tax could have been used to buy milk for GROs who already have children),” Wagas said.
She added that three of the GROs in their KTV bar alone already have children and that one GRO just delivered a baby last November 2009.
In a separate interview, City Hall finance officers Mercy Amora and Corazon Murillo both confirmed that GROs have been made to pay P150.00 annually as their professional tax.
“Dugay naman na unya (Collecting professional tax from GROs has been an ongoing practice for some time already),” Amora said.
She said this imposition has started even before the administration of sitting City Mayor Constantino “Tinnex” Jaraula.
She nevertheless cannot be sure whether the collection of this professional tax started during Jaraula’s political party leader and predecessor incumbent city vice-mayor Vicente “Dongkoy” Emano.
Amora and Murillo said GROs pay professional tax along with lawyers, physicians, accountants, geodetic engineers, civil engineers, realtors, appraisers, agents, insurance underwriters and private nurse.
However, the two City Hall finance officers who were manning a cedula and PTR booth at Gaisano Mall yesterday said GROs pay only P150.00 annual professional tax while the rest pays P300.00 every year.
“Dako mansab na sila ug kita kada gabii (GROs earn a lot every night),” Amora said adding that some GROs even earn at least P500.00 a night.

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