MANILA - The House Committee on Ways and Means on Tuesday approved a resolution imposing a 5-centavo tax for every text message.

The unnumbered measure is a substitute bill to Ilocos Sur Rep. Eric Singson's House Bill 6625, which is in consolidation with the proposed provisions covered by Quezon Rep. Danilo Suarez' House Resolution 282.

HB 6625 prevents phone firms from passing the proposed 5-centavo tax to consumers, while House Resolution 282 seeks to install metering devices to monitor revenues of telecommunications firms in their database such as text messaging and interconnection fees.

According to Suarez, the additional tax from text messaging is expected to generate at least P20 billion a year. These, he said, will be used to fund the government's information technology (IT) and computer literacy programs.

"If they'll understand the full intention of the bill, then maybe they won't oppose it. But if they'll look at possible revenue loss (for telcos), they'll go to court," Suarez said in a phone interview at ANC's "On the Scene" newscast.

A number of mobile phone companies have expressed opposition for the said measure, saying that it is unconstitutional, will hurt consumers, and that it will make text messaging more expensive. On top of these, they said such a bill can drive investors away from the Philippines, derailing economic recovery.

Suarez said Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile has already given his full support for the measure, which has been pushed since 1992.

"(Enrile said) he's all out for the possibility of addressing the economic crisis, and the possibility of addressing the concerns of 70 million subscribers in protecting their load," Suarez said.

Assurance

In a statement released Tuesday, House Speaker Prospero Nograles urged the authors of the so-called "tax on text" bill to make sure that consumers will not incur additional costs as a result of the measure.

According to Nograles, the country's phone firms still make a profit at a cost of 50 centavos a text. At present, mobile phone companies charge P1 for every non-promo text message.

"It is my position that the proposed additional tax on text will be borne by the service providers and that the consumers will not be paying additional costs for texting," Nograles said.

Citing Section 6 of HB 6625, Nograles said: "The excise tax levied herein shall be paid and absorbed by the mobile phone and overseas dispatch or message service providers who shall be prohibited on the cost of such tax payments, either directly or indirectly to any consumer in whatever form or manner."

Nograles said the recently-passed bill will contain the provision, subject to style, found in the original Singson bill (HB 6625).