Good news for families with unsettled estates. On Feb. 18, 2026, Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri filed Senate Bill No. 1865 seeking to extend the Estate Tax Amnesty until Dec. 31, 2028. The previous extension expired on June 14, 2025. If passed, this would reopen the window once again. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: the real bottleneck in estate settlement isn’t the tax. Two years ago, we invited Atty. Jojo Mejia to speak on Estate Settlement Taxation and Planning under TRAIN

On Feb. 15, Bilyonaryo published an article reporting that the Dasmariñas Village Association (DVA) warned of a possible up to 16x increase in real property taxes (RPT) once the proposed SMV is implemented. Highlights from the article: + DVA is CONCERNED about a staggering increase in RPT. + DVA said they were told the Makati LGU does NOT INTEND to use the SMV to sharply raise taxes. + DVA will propose revisions in assessment levels and tax rates, and a cap to limit future in

Unknown to many, there’s a non-obvious way the BIR can subject the sale to VAT and CWT to a real estate transaction. ...when the seller has more than 5 real estate transactions in one year. Why this matters Once BIR classifies someone as "habitually engaged in real estate transactions", they will no longer be taxed like a regular individual selling personal assets. Instead, they WILL be treated as someone selling in the course of trade or business — which will open the door t

What Happens If You Pay CGT + DST to the Wrong RDO? This is one of those BIR landmines that looks harmless… until it isn’t. Let’s use a real-world example: A property in Ayala Heights was sold. And not a lot of people know this, but the village actually sits under two different RDOs: + RDO 28 (Matandang Balara – Novaliches) + RDO 39 (Pansol – South QC) So before you file and pay, you’ll need to request a tax map to confirm which RDO the specific property falls under. So What

The Makati City Assessor has begun public consultations for the Schedule of Market Values (SMV) that will take effect in 2028 — and the increases are eye-opening. Example: Dasmariñas Village Lot values jumped from Php 13.5k/sqm (1997) to Php 220K/sqm. Surprisingly, this is still lower than BIR’s zonal value of Php 300K/sqm (issued in 2021) — which already tells us something important: RPVAR values are not automatically higher. They’re meant to be more accurate. So what’s real

When a property owner dies and leaves real estate to their heirs, most people — even brokers and lawyers — assume one thing: 👉 The new title must list every single heir by name. Sounds logical, right? I used to think so too. Until recently, when I came across a title that proved me wrong. The registered owner section listed multiple individual names… and then, in one line, simply stated: “Heirs of [Decedent’s Name]” No names. No breakdown. Just that. To be more specific, the

This is a MUST READ. This development is a continuation of Maceda Law. Good news for pre-selling buyers, bad news for developers. Last July 2025, the Supreme Court ruled on a case (G.R. No. 261877) involving a pre-selling condominium project that was not completed on time and not delivered as promised. Here’s the big takeaway (based on my reading of the case): If a developer fails to complete a project: According to the approved plans, OR Within the prescribed period the buye

Following yesterday’s post, “Check Writing Madness,” I’m sharing an old but trusted Excel formula I use to automatically convert numbers into words. Just update the cell reference A1 to match where your number is entered. This provides a way to automatically convert amounts into words accurately—especially useful for contracts and check writing, where numbers must be spelled out. Facebook readers, you can screenshot the formula and use text selection from your photos to paste

Ugh. This is starting to get irritating. What’s the proper way to write Php 154,238.85 in words? If your answer is: One hundred fifty-four thousand two hundred and thirty-eight & 85/100… Congratulations—your check may be rejected by the bank. This just happened to us. According to the bank teller (and, admittedly, I agree), the correct way is NOT to put “and” between “two hundred” and “thirty-eight.” The “and” should be reserved only for the centavos portion. But seriously—th

Let’s play a quick zoning-and-tax-base puzzle. In the photo is the iconic house from the animated movie “Up.” For those unfamiliar with the movie, Carl’s (main character) house in Up is a small, colorful wooden home that looks like it came straight out of a storybook. Over time, towering gray buildings rise around it as developers buy out the entire neighborhood. But Carl refuses to sell. His little house becomes the last remaining holdout, a lone splash of color in a sea of