Remove RPT

Under Article XIII, Section 9 of the 1987 Constitution, the State is mandated to make decent housing and basic services” available to underprivileged and homeless citizens at an affordable cost.

- DR. GEORGE S. CHUA

However, the wanton increase in Real Property Taxes (RPT)—which have surged by as much as 2,300 percent due to the revision of land property values—is not only unconscionable but confiscatory. Because these zonal values cover residential properties used as primary homes for owners and their extended families, the tax hike offers no liquid benefit. The increased value is never realized unless the property is sold; until then, it is merely a burden to be absorbed.

While a higher property valuation might seem like a windfall, it is only a paper profit” that generates no cash flow. In reality, this upward valuation can lead to tragedy: an owner may find themselves unable to pay the exorbitant RPT, eventually leading to the government auctioning the property to cover the arrears. This results in the loss of residence for the owner and their family. I, therefore, propose the removal of RPT on the primary residence of taxpayers for the following reasons: