<Anchor> As
electricity rates rise from next month, various utility bills including city gas are expected to rise one after another. In this way, the government has been pushing to raise public rates, and as food prices, including milk prices, have risen recently, a warning light has been turned on for price management.
Correspondent Han Ji-yeon.
<Reporter>
Among public utilities, city gas is already under consideration.
The date is under discussion for November, which is about a month later.
The city gas rate has been frozen for 15 months after cutting the city gas rate by up to 12.7% due to the corona situation in July last year.
LNG prices have surged more than tenfold since the end of July last year.
[Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy official: (Receivables) seems to be in the trillions. The cost has gone up and all has gone up, but the (fare) doesn't go up, and if that happens, (receivables) keep accumulating
.
The Korea Railroad Corporation, which is expected to lose 1 trillion won this year following last year's, is demanding an increase in railroad fares that have been frozen for 10 years.
In addition, public transportation such as buses, subways, and taxis and local public charges such as water and sewage are highly likely to increase by dominoes.
As the price of milk rises by 5% next month, the prices of related foods such as bread and sweets are also shaken up.
[Lee Eun-hee / Professor, Department of Consumer Affairs, Inha University: Housewives were very worried about the price of shopping carts.
(Future) Since utility rates are showing signs of continuing to rise, the impact on household income is very negative (I think)] The
cumulative consumer price inflation rate by August of this year was already 2%.
It is pointed out that the government, which has become difficult to meet the annual target of 1.8%, must now come up with a new policy plan to deal with high inflation.