Improving LGU Competitiveness: Development of Guidelines for the Preparation and Review of Local Fees and Charges and the Local Revenue Code (TA 9041 PHI)

Sector: Governance and Public Finance

Country: Philippines

PRIMEX fielded a Local Revenue Generation Expert, who was responsible for the following tasks: (i) conduct of a review of literature including, but not limited to: (a) Republic Act 11032; (b) Local Treasury Operations Manual (LTOM), 2017; (c) Manual for the Examination of Local Treasury Operations (MELTO), 2016; (d) Manual for Real Property Appraisal and Assessment Operations (MRPAAO), 2017; (e) Assessment Examination and Evaluation Manual (AEEM), 2017; (f) USAID INVEST Business Fees and Charges in Cities Study, 2014; (g) DILG-NEDA-DBM-DOF JMC 2016-1; (h) DOF-DILG Guidelines for the Updating of the Local Revenue Code, 13 January 2012; and (i) Manual for the Setting of Local Fees and Charges; (ii) conduct of consultations with DILG, BLGF, Local Government Leagues (League of Provinces (LMP), League of Cities (LCP), League of Municipalities (LMP), Liga ng mga Barangay (LnB), and Union of Local Government Authorities (ULAP), and selected provincial LGUs on the manuals and review process; (iii) Draft an Inception Report containing: (a) findings from the review of the relevant documents and insights from the consultations; (b) initial recommendations for improvements to the manual for the setting of local fees and charges; (c) outline for the Primer on the Setting of Local Fees and Charges; (d) outline for the Manual for the Provincial, City, and Municipal Review of Local Revenue Codes; (e) outlines for the template or model local revenue codes for cities, municipalities, and barangay; and (f) schedule of work for the deliverables; (iv) conduct a consultation on the inception report with DILG, BLGF, selected provincial LGUs, and the Local Government Leagues for comments; (v) drafting of the following manuals and information materials for the Interim Report: (a) detailed recommendations for improvements to the Manual for the Setting of Local Fees and Charges; (b) Draft Primer for the Setting of Local Fees and Charges; (c) Draft Manual for the Provincial Review of the Local Revenue Codes of Cities and Municipalities; (d) Draft Manual for the City and Municipal Revenue of the Local Revenue Codes of Barangays; (e) draft template for the Model Local Revenue Code of Cities and Municipalities; (f) draft template for the Model Local Revenue Code of Barangays; (vi) dissemination of the manual and conduct of a workshop for the DILG, BLGF and LGU Leagues for comments on the drafts; (vii) finalization of the recommendations, manuals, templates, and primers (5a, 5b, 5c, 5d, 5e, and 5f) based on the comments as the Final Report; (viii) conduct of a capacity building workshop for 200 BLGF, DILG, and selected provincial staff on the manuals, templates, and primers; and (ix) development of a set of indicators for monitoring policy reform utilizing a combination of readily available secondary statistics and primary (i.e., survey) data with baseline values for these indicators. His outputs were: (i) Inception Report; (ii) Interim Report; (iii) Final Report; (iv) capacity building workshop for 200 BLGF, DILG, and selected provincial staff on the manuals, templates, and primers; and (v) a set of indicators for monitoring policy reform utilizing a combination of readily available secondary statistics and primary (i.e., survey) data with baseline values for these indicators. The consultant reported directly to the Director of the Local Financial Analysis Division of the BLGF of DOF and the ADB project team.