Govt wants to increase tax collections in ARMM

The government hopes to boost revenue collections in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) to fund development projects in the region, the head of the Finance Department said Monday. “This is a major area of opportunity so we can help that region generate revenues to fund a lot of development projects that we believe are necessary [to] realize the peace dividends,” said Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima at the Philippine Development Forum in Davao City. Peace and order problems, power supply deficiencies and general poverty have plagued the region for years, but the signing last year of a peace agreement between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to create the new political entity of Bangsamoro to replace the ARMM might entice investors to take another look at the investment possibilities of the region. Increasing revenue collection will be a “crucial component” for regional growth, said Purisima. In the past, the Commission on Audit had lauded the ARMM for increasing its tax collection by 14 percent year-on-year to reach P764 million in 2010. — BM, GMA News