Memos: Discount & VAT

Memos:  Discount & VAT

(original web post 12/28/13):  Well, two important memos have been posted, of course, hardly making up for the disasatrous lack of communication by those managing the building.

I would strongly suggest that everyone take advantage of the discount due to VAT being imposed. The discount will help to offset the VAT. I have heard that a class action lawsuit may be in the works. I am not sure if the Congress has been contacted by Filipinos to change the law for what seems to be double taxation.

Those living outside the country I assume never see many of the memos and have little to no knowledge on a regular basis as to what is going on here since communcation is in serious need of being established. Some Unit Owners have paid well in advance. Did they ever get the yearly discount? If not, follow up and ask why not in the past and perhaps this coming year.

As for the discount, I would write that it is the Unit Owner who is paying, period. While the payment may be made by a tenant, it is the Unit Owner who is paying via whatever private arrangement they may have with the tenant. Unit Owners, you lose out on a discount if the full yearly payment is not made.

In the third paragraph "its" is used. Given the fact that cyborgs or androids have not yet been developed much less obtained property rights, I would assume "its" refers to Unit Owners. The possessive form their would be the correct word due to the clear majority of Unit Owners being human.

I would also argue with the statement, "Prompt payment is necessary to avoid any delay or discontinuance of services." We have services such as the elevators which have never fully functioned. Of course, we could go on from there as to the Board and management not providing what we pay for but they do not let us in on the secret and private meetings.

In the same paragraph, "We..." To whom does we refer? Is this the royal we?

Finally we are handed the "It" in the following: "It requires a unified effort in order to maintain the value of your investment." The true It to maintain value will be Unit Owner control of the Board as clearly researched and writtin by Armando Ang in his book, Guide to Homeownership. So will the developers and their minions please step aside allowing for a properly planned and announced meeting of the members (Unit Owners) of Soho Central Condominium Corporation to elect a Board?

Besides these memos, all such communication should be posted online for all Unit Owners. Please be assured that among my many tasks for the upcoming year that I will obtain and scan a copy of the Collection Policy & Procedure for all Unit Owners to access easily here in the forum.

Click here for a .pdf of the Discount memo.

I would argue with the BIR as to its assumption that a condominium corporation "furnishes its members and tenants with benefits, advantages, and privileges in return for such payments." In fact, given the work we have put in, I would expect a refund since the road must go both ways due to our time and expense in gaining such furnishings.

Further under II. Value-Added Tax (VAT), it would seem the government would start to tax other nonstock, nonprofit private organizations such as religious institutions considering their vast sums of income. A slippery slope indeed when being legalistic.

Click here for a .pdf of the VAT memo below.

The following is a memo that I have just posted (03/22/13) that is supposed to explain the memo put out by the government. Of course, there were newspaper articles, too. See, why spend time addressing all the issues of the building when you can sit at a computer and repeat work already done. Enjoy they the memo of a memo.

Click here for a .pdf of the above memo.