FPIP ecozone, locators boost coffers of Tanauan
Lopez-led economic zone First Philippine Industrial Park (FPIP) and 17 of its locators emerged as the biggest taxpayers in Tanauan City last year, making this among the richest jurisdictions in the province of Batangas.
In a statement on Wednesday, the FPIP said seven of these companies had paid more than P1 billion in business and real property taxes in 2024, equivalent to roughly one-fourth of the local government’s P4.3-billion annual budget.
The industrial park and nine locators made it to the list of top 10 real property taxpayers, while eight were named as the city’s biggest sources of business tax.
“We are proud to be a partner of Tanauan, not just in terms of the substantial tax contribution but also because of the jobs that we create for the local community. When FPIP prospers, so does the city,” FPIP vice president Ricky Carandang said in a statement.
“I would like to believe that the richest LGU (local government unit) in Batangas now is Tanauan City, because our partners from the business sector are paying their taxes,” Tanauan City Mayor Nelson Collantes said.
Motorcycle assembler Honda Philippines Inc., among the FPIP’s locators, paid P275.15 million in business tax to the Tanauan, the largest contribution among the businesses in the city.
It also paid an additional P49.34 million in real property tax, the fifth-largest contribution by a single taxpayer in the city.
“The combined P324.5 million in business and real property taxes of Honda Philippines also made the company the top source of both of these taxes in Tanauan City in 2024,” FPIP said.
Another locator, tobacco product maker Philip Morris Fortune Tobacco Corp., was the largest source of real property tax at P176.48 million and the third-largest business taxpayer amounting to P56.17 million in 2024.
Other big taxpayers included Nestle Philippines Inc. (P149.41 million), Philippine Manufacturing Co. Murata Inc. (P77.21 million), FPIP (P54.53 million), Brother Industries Philippines Inc. (P50.29 million) and Canon Business Machine Philippines Inc. (P40.87 million).
FPIP is a joint venture between the Lopez Group’s listed conglomerate, First Philippine Holdings Corp. and Japanese partner Sumitomo Corp., which houses global manufacturers and traders in Batangas.
To date, the 600-hectare ecozone employs nearly 80,000 Filipinos.
