Meralco refund faces delay
Manila Times, Friday, January 14, 2005
THE implementation of Manila Electric Co.’s Phase 4A refund will be delayed, Meralco said on Thursday.
The delay cannot be avoided because Meralco needs to note the tax identification numbers (TIN) of customers covered by the refund phase, a Meralco official said.
Phase 4A of the refund covers a gross refund of P2.276 billion to be reimbursed to 103,425 small commercial and industrial customers, government hospitals, metered streetlights and flat streetlight customers with a contracted demand of less than 40 kilowatts.
“We will have to ask for and secure these customers’ TIN. We do not hold such information in our database,” Elpi O. Cuna, Meralco’s vice president for corporate communications, said in a telephone interview.
Meralco recently received the Energy Regulatory Commission’s order on its Phase 4A refund implementation. The Bureau of Internal Revenue intends to tax Phase 4A customers and to designate Meralco as its withholding agent.
Meralco will try to start the refund in February, said Leo V. Mabale, Meralco’s senior vice president and refund management task force head.
Mabale said that the ERC order states that the refund be credited to future billings over 18 months starting January 2005.
“Although we recognize and adhere to the ERC’s order, we need to inform the commission on the difficulties of starting the implementation this month. We received the order only on January 6 and we cannot implement it midway in the January billing cycle,” he said.
Mabale said that Meralco hopes to clarify with the BIR and the ERC all of these matters including the tax rules and mechanics at the soonest possible time so it can carry out the refund by February.
As of end-December, Mabale said that Meralco has completed the processing of refunds for active and terminated residential and general-service customers.
The third phase covers 5.1 million customers, representing 98 percent of customer base entitled to a refund. The amount processed for refund stood at P11.6 billion, or 38 percent of the total refundable amount.
THE implementation of Manila Electric Co.’s Phase 4A refund will be delayed, Meralco said on Thursday.
The delay cannot be avoided because Meralco needs to note the tax identification numbers (TIN) of customers covered by the refund phase, a Meralco official said.
Phase 4A of the refund covers a gross refund of P2.276 billion to be reimbursed to 103,425 small commercial and industrial customers, government hospitals, metered streetlights and flat streetlight customers with a contracted demand of less than 40 kilowatts.
“We will have to ask for and secure these customers’ TIN. We do not hold such information in our database,” Elpi O. Cuna, Meralco’s vice president for corporate communications, said in a telephone interview.
Meralco recently received the Energy Regulatory Commission’s order on its Phase 4A refund implementation. The Bureau of Internal Revenue intends to tax Phase 4A customers and to designate Meralco as its withholding agent.
Meralco will try to start the refund in February, said Leo V. Mabale, Meralco’s senior vice president and refund management task force head.
Mabale said that the ERC order states that the refund be credited to future billings over 18 months starting January 2005.
“Although we recognize and adhere to the ERC’s order, we need to inform the commission on the difficulties of starting the implementation this month. We received the order only on January 6 and we cannot implement it midway in the January billing cycle,” he said.
Mabale said that Meralco hopes to clarify with the BIR and the ERC all of these matters including the tax rules and mechanics at the soonest possible time so it can carry out the refund by February.
As of end-December, Mabale said that Meralco has completed the processing of refunds for active and terminated residential and general-service customers.
The third phase covers 5.1 million customers, representing 98 percent of customer base entitled to a refund. The amount processed for refund stood at P11.6 billion, or 38 percent of the total refundable amount.
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