The Business One Stop Shop (BOSS) has processed 14,215 business permit applications during the first 5 months of 2023, the highest ever recorded since the streamlined process started in 2017.
Of the total number of business permits issued as of May 31, 2023, about 1,433 are new business permits while 12,782 are renewals. This is 1,220 more than last year’s record of 12,995 applications, translating to over 9% increase in the number of permits issued.
In a 5-year comparison of data, City Licensing Officer Benjie Barredo said the BOSS registered 12,214 business establishments in 2019; 11,952 in 2020; 12.075 in 2021 and 12,995 in 2022.
The number of business registration is expected to increase further by the end of 2023 with the streamlined process through the BOSS is now implemented year-round, Barredo stressed.
For the first time, through Mayor John Dalipe’s initiative, the BOSS operation at the Centro Latino in Paseo del Mar is complemented with free coffee and snacks as well as free photocopy service and free wifi connection to encourage business owners and operators to secure a permit for their enterprises and to make the process less strenuous.
Meanwhile, the BOSS operation has likewise generated a total of P497.95 million income from business taxes (P441.25million), garbage fees (P21.45million), and regulatory fees and other charges (P35.25million).
The year-round operation of the City’s BOSS took effect June 13, 2022. Operation is from 8am to 5pm Monday to Friday and caters all business permit transactions.
The Business One Stop Shop (BOSS) is a streamlined system for business permits registration and renewal, which puts all government agencies involved in the renewal and registration of all kinds of business permits and licenses in one place. It was first operationalized in by the city government in 2017. (Claudine Uniana)
(Source: City Government of Zamboanga Facebook page)