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BillSBN-49620th Congress

Exempting Electricity Sales from Value-added Tax

In committee Filed Jul 14, 2025
◷ Where it standsIn Committee
FiledCommittee2nd Reading3rd ReadingBicamEnacted

Filed on July 14, 2025, and referred to the Committees on Ways and Means and Energy; it has been pending in committee since the first reading on August 13, 2025, with no recorded action since the joint committee meetings on May 18, 2026.

Should you care?
Relevance to you
Broad

The bill addresses high electricity costs affecting various sectors.

General publicElectricity providersManufacturing sectorSmall businesses
Timeliness
Timely

The bill responds to ongoing concerns about high electricity costs.

Affects you ifElectricity consumersBusiness ownersHousehold income earnersManufacturersInvestors
Impact assessment
AI read — verify with source
Overall impact
6.1/ 10
Long title

Exempting Electricity Sales from Value-added Tax

Plain-language summary
AI Summary

This bill aims to exempt electricity sales from the value-added tax (VAT) to reduce electricity costs, which are high in the Philippines compared to other countries. The exemption is expected to lower operating costs for businesses, help control inflation, and increase disposable income for households.

What this bill actually requires
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ⓘ AI-generated — verify with the source.↗ Official Senate PDF
What changes from current law

Compared with current law:

Today

Electricity sales are subject to a 12% value-added tax.

This bill

Electricity sales will be exempt from value-added tax.

ⓘ AI-generated comparison — verify against the bill and the cited law.
Ask this bill

The bill proposes to exempt electricity sales from the value-added tax (VAT), which is currently set at 12%. This change aims to lower electricity costs for consumers and businesses.

Source · full text
Issue areas
HealthFinance & BudgetSocial WelfareElectricity consumersValue-Added Taxeconomic reliefBusiness OwnersHousehold income

✦ Dashed tags are AI-suggested nuance; solid tags follow the committee taxonomy.

Legislative history
Jul 14, 2025Senate
Introduced by Senator FRANCIS "CHIZ" G. ESCUDERO;
Aug 13, 2025Senate
Read on First Reading and Referred to the Committees on WAYS AND MEANS and ENERGY;
May 18, 2026Senate
Conducted JOINT COMMITTEE MEETINGS/HEARINGS;
✦ AI insight

Stalled: the bill has been pending in committee for over 10 months with no action since the joint committee meetings on May 18, 2026.

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Floor activity

No floor deliberations yet — this measure has not reached plenary. Its committee-stage actions appear under Legislative history above.

Full text
SBN-496 — verbatim textAs filed

TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE ) JUL 14 M1:01 REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES First Regular Session SENATE PRI. S. No. _ Introduced by Senator Francis G. Escudero AN ACT EXEMPTING ELECTRICITY SALES FROM VALUE-ADDED TAX, FURTHER AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE SECTIONS 108 AND 109 OF THE NATIONAL INTERNAL REVENUE CODE, AS AMENDED EXPLANATORY NOTE The cost of electricity consumption in the Philippines is high relative to other economies in the region. High operating costs fueled by high electricity prices stifle private sector investments in critical sectors such as manufacturing and escalate the prices of basic goods and commodities. It likewise curbs the efficient transformation of the economy and contributes to greater economic problems such as development progeria and premature deindustrialization. This bill, in recognition of the wisdom behind House Bill No. 2151 filed by Representatives Dagooc and De Jesus and Senate Bill No. 866 filed by Senator Poe in the Nineteenth Congress, seeks to address the high electricity cost by exempting electricity sale from value-added tax. Such tax relief can lower operating costs of industries and businesses, temper inflation, and increase disposable household income while generating revenue through increased economic activity and consumption. In view of the foregoing, due consideration and evaluation of this bill for its approval is requested. FRANCIS G. ESCUDERO

TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE ) REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES First Regular Session ) 25 JUL 14 M1:01 SENATE S. No. _ Introduced by Senator Francis G. Escudero AN ACT EXEMPTING ELECTRICITY SALES FROM VALUE-ADDED TAX, FURTHER AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE SECTIONS 108 AND 109 OF THE NATIONAL INTERNAL REVENUE CODE, AS AMENDED Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress assembled:

Section 1. Section 108 of the National Internal Revenue Code of 1997, as

amended, is hereby further amended to read as follows: "Sec. 108. Value-added Tax on Sale of Services and Use or Lease of Properties. - "(A) Rate and Base of Tax. - There shall be levied, assessed and collected, a value-added tax equivalent to twelve percent (12%) of gross receipts derived from the sale or exchange of services, including the use or lease of properties. "The phrase "sale or exchange of services" means the performance of all kinds of services in the Philippines for others for a fee, remuneration or consideration, including those performed or rendered by construction and service contractors; stock, real estate, commercial, customs and immigration brokers; lessors of property, whether personal or real; warehousing services; lessors or distributors of cinematographic films; persons engaged in milling processing, manufacturing or repacking goods for others; proprietors, operators or

keepers of hotels, motels, rest houses, pension houses, inns, resorts; proprietors or operators of restaurants, refreshment parlors, cafes and other eating places, including clubs and caterers; dealers in securities; lending investors; transportation contractors on their transport of goods or cargoes, including persons who transport goods or cargoes for hire another domestic common carriers by land relative to their transport of goods or cargoes; common carriers by air and sea relative to their transport of passengers, goods or cargoes from one place in the Philippines to another place in the Philippines; [sales of electricity by generation companies, transmission by any means entity, and distribution companies, including electric cooperatives;] services of franchise grantees of [electric utilities,] telephone and telegraph, radio and television broadcasting and all other franchise grantees except those under section 119 of this Code, and non-life insurance companies (except their crop insurances, including surety, fidelity, indemnity, and bonding companies; and similar services regardless of whether or not the performance thereof calls for the exercise or use of the physical or mental faculties. The phrase "sale or exchange of services" shall likewise include: "XXX."

Section 2. Section 109 of the National Internal Revenue Code of 1997, as

amended, is hereby further amended to read as follows: "Sec. 109. Exempt Transactions. - "(1) Subject to the provisions of Subsection (2) hereof, the following transactions shall be exempt from the value-added tax: "(A) XxX. "Xxx. "(BB) Xxx.

"(CC) SALE OF ELECTRICTY BY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION, AND DISTRIBUTION COMPANIES AND ELECTRIC COOPERATIVES; "(DD) SERVICES OF FRANCHISE GRANTEES OF ELECTRIC UTILITIES; AND "(EE) [(CC)] XXX. "

Sec. 3. Separability Clause. - If any provision or part hereof is declared

unconstitutional, the remainder of this Act or any provision not affected thereby shall remain in full force and effect.

Sec. 4. Repealing Clause. 0- All laws, acts, decrees, executive orders,

issuances, and rules and regulations or parts thereof which are contrary to and inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed, amended or modified accordingly.

Sec. 5. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect immediately following its

publication in the Official Gazette or in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. Approved,

Reproduced from the Senate document. The official PDF is the authoritative version.