By Charles R. Pepito | Correspondent
A SIDEWALK vendors’ association on Colon Street in Cebu City is urging Cebuanos to boycott the establishments of tax evaders in support of the ongoing campaign of Cebu City Mayor Tomas R. Osmeña and President Duterte against tax evaders.
The Sidewalk Area Vendors Empowerment Association Inc. (SAVE-A) also called on Cebu City Hall to stop the demolition of the stalls of sidewalk vendors who are paying taxes, called arkabala, amounting to P10 to P20 daily.
The group claimed membership among hundreds of vendors selling their wares in Cebu City’s central business district.
Signed by 11 officials, the SAVE-A statement said they dutifully pay their dues to the government, but were alarmed over reports about the business tax paid by big businesses, especially BDO and SM Seaside City Cebu owned by Henry Sy, acknowledged as the highest-ranking businessman in the Philippines.
The organization has set a general assembly and blessing of their office on April 20.
Osmeña had earlier issued a show-cause order to the BDO branch inOsmeña Boulevard for declaring gross sales of only P6,898 and paying P35 in business tax in 2015.
Insisting the branch paid what was legally due the government, BDO secured a temporary restraining order preventing the mayor from further commenting on the tax-evasion case and stopping moves to close the branch.
The mayor said he is not giving up and might resort to elevating the issue to the Supreme Court and the Office of the President.
“The 1,000 vendors in Cebu City, as a whole, paid taxes totaling P4.8 million to the government,” the vendors’ statement said in the dialect.
The vendors’ group said many of their members lost their livelihood due to demolition. Cebu City Hall should, instead, exert more effort in going after the rich tax evaders, the group said.
“We are expressing our support to the call of President Duterte and Mayor Osmeña to go against tax evaders, fight tax evasion and boycott their establishments,” the vendors said.