Pitching in for Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, her father, in yesterday's "Gikan sa Masa Para Sa Masa" television program, the Vice mayor announced that city officials are set to meet business leaders to discuss the tax issue.

She said the Mayor "is in Basilan" but would be around to meet the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCCI) on Wednesday.

Councilor Tomasing Monteverde, who co-hosted yesterday's program, said the complain of DCCCI on high realty taxes is contained in a 5-page position paper submitted to the city government.

Without going to the details of the paper, Monteverde said businessmen described the increase in real estate taxes "bad timing".

A landed businessman told the Insider that realty taxes doubled over the last three years.

Vice Mayor Duterte defended the increases yesterday, mentioning it was almost twelve years since the city government jacked up the taxes.

BANK LOANS

An official of the city, who asked not to be named because of lack of authority to talk  on the issue, siad the local government needed to hike taxes to meet its loan obligations.

The outstanding loans of the city with the Land Bank of the Phils. reportedly reached P1.6-billion. Payment over the years reduced the loan balance to P1.1-billion.

The city however, is about to take up another loan from Land Bank, this time possibly reaching P3-billion in a single passage.

It was not divulged how much increase in taxes the new loan would result to.

Vice Mayor Duterte said yesterday the City Council is set to tackle part of the loan package in the next session. She said the loan would fund various projects of the Mayor.