The National Electrification Administration on Wednesday assured that the increase in the excise tax on coal has minimal impact on power rates.
NEA administrator Edgardo Masongsong said electric cooperative consumers might expect price adjustments in their power bills by March, but these will be “nominal because not all distribution utilities derive their energy sources purely from coal.”
Masongsong said customers of electric cooperatives consume an average of 136 kilowatt-hours per month at a cost of about P680 to P700.
“The effect of the excise tax is about P0.70 per bill,” Masongsong said.
He said the impact was very minimal and even lower than the cost of text messages or candy.
“The effect of the excise tax is very minimal if electricity supply comes from coal,” he said.