Seen in this file photo taken on January 18, 2017 are motor vehicles parking on both sides of the road along Rizal street in Davao City. Council Bernard Al-ag on Tuesday, September 26, encouraged property owners to convert vacant commercial spaces into parking areas. (Paulo C. Rizal/davaotoday.com)
DAVAO CITY, Philippines – Council Bernard Al-ag on Tuesday, September 26, called on the property owners in the city to convert vacant commercial spaces into parking areas, even offering them a possible five-year tax incentive.
Al-ag said the establishment of car parking spaces is a “good business” for property owners by the time Mayor Sara Duterte’s proposed “no parking law” will be enacted.
“We are encouraging property owners to use this property as car parking or to build car park buildings,” Al-ag told reporters before the city council’s regular session.
Al-ag stressed that there are still a lot of vacant properties in the commercial areas in the city but only few are utilizing it as cark park spaces.
To entice owners of these properties, he said the council is hoping it could pass the proposed tax incentive ordinance. If it becomes a law, property owners who will convert their real estate into paid parking areas will be exempt from paying taxes and building permit fees for five years.
The tax incentive draft is currently on the committee for trade and commerce industry chaired by Councilor Jimmy Dureza, who assured that the committee will fast track the passage of the said measure.
In her State of the City Address (SOCA) on September 12, Duterte expressed that there is a “need to ban street parking” in certain areas of the city to decongest traffic. (davaotoday.com)
