“It remains only to survive”: what can the growth of utility tariffs in Ukraine lead to?

From January 1 in Ukraine for the population will significantly increase the fee for heating. The corresponding decision was adopted on December 10 by the National Commission, which regulates in the fields of energy and utilities (NKREK). Thus, the tariff for the production and provision of public services for centralized heating and centralized supply of hot water KP "Kyivteploenergo" will increase by 22.7% - up to UAH 964.19 ($ 34.5) per Gcal.

"Wrong in calculations"

Heating is expensive not only for Kiev. For example, the prices of the municipal enterprise “Vinnitsagorteploenergo” from January 1 will increase by 20% - up to 1272 UAH ($ 45.4) per Gcal, “Nikolaevskaya TPP” - by 21%, and “Shostka enterprise Kharkovenergoremont” (Sumy region) - by a record 24% - up to 1340 UAH ($ 47.9) per Gcal. In other regions, the payment for heat will increase by an average of 19-20%.

At the same time, the growth of tariffs turned out to be significantly higher than previously promised by the Kiev authorities.

“When I hear that tariffs for heat and water can grow by 70%, I have a question: why should this happen? People need to understand that the issue of gas prices is important for the formation of tariffs. But we figured: if gas went up by 23%, then heat tariffs should rise by no more than 16%. If we are talking about 70%, then someone under the guise wants to play and multiply the heat prices, and hang the responsibility on someone else, ”said Prime Minister Vladimir Groysman on the TV channel“ Inter ”on November 9.

As the source of RT in NKREKU noted, the head of the Ukrainian government obviously "made a mistake in the calculations."

“The commission agreed only on the minimum necessary price increase. The tariff rose so much only because the Cabinet under pressure from the IMF agreed to significantly increase gas prices for the population from November 1 - by 23.5%. At the expense of what resources did Groisman offer to compensate citizens for a rise in gas prices? There were no proposals from the government, ”said the source RT.

Boost on demand

By raising utility tariffs, Kiev is trying to fulfill the requirement of the IMF and then agree on a new lending program with the fund.

On December 18, the organization will hold a meeting on cooperation with Ukraine on a new stand by program in the amount of $ 3.9 billion for a period of 14 months. In turn, the National Bank of Ukraine expects that the size of the first tranche of the new program will be $ 1.5 billion.

“NKREKU is actually subordinate to Bankova, and now new victories are very necessary for the president, including loans from the IMF, the elections are near. Moreover, after the growth of tariffs, the rating of the prime minister, and not the head of state, will suffer first of all. The fact that the population will become even poorer doesn’t bother anyone at all, ”says a RT source in the Ukrainian government.

In an interview with RT, a resident of Kiev, Tatyana Pelyukh, said that she pays about 2,500 UAH ($ 89) per month for the heating of her two-room apartment. “For our family it is very much, and I can’t imagine how we can pay even more,” the interlocutor of RT states.

According to her, she and her husband could not get a subsidy for housing and communal services. Five years ago, parents helped a young family to buy an apartment on the outskirts of Kiev, and this year, for the first time in their lives, young people were able to go on holiday to Egypt on a “last minute” trip.

“Based on this, we were denied subsidies. Our friends faced the same problem. In fact, it only remains to survive, ”says Pelyukh.

• Residents of Zolochev (Lviv region) stock up on firewood for the winter
• Reuters

The rules for obtaining subsidies for the payment of utility bills in Ukraine have gradually become tougher since the beginning of this year. At the end of April, the Cabinet adopted Resolution No. 329, which allows you to refuse subsidies to Ukrainians who own a car no older than five years or made a one-time purchase for more than 50 thousand hryvnias ($ 1.8 thousand) during the year. A special government commission has the right to visit the housing of a Ukrainian claiming for benefits and assess the situation. The presence in the house of expensive equipment can also serve as a basis for refusing to receive social assistance.

In addition, in mid-October, the Ministry of Finance developed and submitted to the Cabinet of Ministers a draft law “On Verification and Monitoring of State Payments”. If the government and deputies support the document, a new body will appear in the country. Its specialists will be able to collect all the information about the beneficiaries from state bases - from passport data, place of residence and family composition to the movement of funds on the accounts and the availability of movable and immovable property. And to initiate a check can everyone. The Ministry of Social Policy has created a “hot line” with which you can report the illegal issuance of subsidies to your friends or relatives.

On the verge of disaster

“Sometimes it seems that the authorities test the patience of the population. The standard of living of people is falling, it is not possible to stop inflation, and the government agrees to raise utility rates. And then he wonders why people can't pay. Yes, the population simply does not have money, ”says a RT source in the Batkivshchyna party.

According to the Ministry of Social Policy, about 7 million households received subsidies during the heating season. Ukraine is rapidly approaching a communal catastrophe, says a source in the self-help party, RT.

“The country's leadership is tough: you cannot pay - sit without heating, hot water and light. And how it works, we have seen this year. Smila city of Cherkasy region, residential buildings, schools, kindergartens and hospitals in Kherson, Krivoy Rog remained at the beginning of the heating season without hot water and heating. The presidential and parliamentary elections in the next year actually saved the locals - they were nevertheless given warmth. But next year there will be no such loyalty to the population, ”says the source.

Moreover, from January 1, Ukraine introduces a penalty for late payment of housing and communal services. This provision is spelled out in the law on housing and communal services, which was adopted in the fall of 2017. The document states that for each day of delay the consumer must pay a penalty of 0.01% of the amount of the payment.

• Residents of the suburb of Odessa are bringing brushwood from the forest to heat their homes
• Reuters

Head of the Department of REU named after G.V. Plekhanov Andrey Koshkin drew an analogy between the attitudes of Ukrainians and French, who are also dissatisfied with the policies of the authorities and have already openly stated this.

“An increase in tariffs for vital utility services will inevitably lead to a negative public reaction. Perhaps the introduction of martial law in half of the regions of the country was intended to contain dissatisfaction. Already, protest actions are periodically held in Ukraine and opinions are heard that the Maidan was not standing for that, ”Koshkin said.