Apart from paying for services, consumers have also been shouldering the income taxes of the water concessionaires serving Metro Manila and nearby areas for six years now, a regulator on Wednesday said.



Corporate taxes are among the fees Manila Water Company, Inc. and Maynilad Water Services, Inc. charge its consumers, state-run Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) said.



“Anim na taon na pong kinukumbra ng Maynilad at Manila Water iyong income tax at iyong binabayad nila at ipinapasa nila sa consumer,” MWSS Administrator Gerardo Esquivel said in a radio interview.



The water regulators’ admission comes at the heels of an advocacy group’s report that the utilities have passed on some P3.1 billion in corporate taxes a year to consumers.



From 2008 to 2012, Maynilad has passed on some P1.6 billion a year while Manila Water let consumers shoulder 1.5 billion annually, Water for the People Network claimed.



This, despite the fact that the Pangilinan-led Maynilad and the Ayala-led Manila Water secured income tax holidays in 2009.



Esquivel noted in the interview aired over DZMM, however, that the these fees show on consumers’ billing statements and that water utilities seem to have no “desire to hide that fact.”



“Hindi naman po siguro ‘yun sinasadyang itago kundi ganoon lang po talaga ‘yung framework ng billing natin,” Esquivel added, even as he vowed to look into the issue.



The MWSS executive also reiterated the regulators’ intention to ease consumer burdens. “Tinitignan po natin kung meron pong paraan para tanggalin ‘yan,” Esquivel said.



Maynilad and Manila Water provide water and wastewater services to Metro Manila, parts of Rizal province as well as some cities and municipalities in Cavite.



































