Dear electricity and gas bills, consumer associations warn: government measures are not enough against increases and increases and there will still be a sting. “The interventions approved yesterday by the government with the bill decree are completely insufficient to contain the new flare-up in electricity and gas tariffs and will not prevent both a further rise in energy costs for households and businesses, and a domino effect on retail prices. and inflation, “he says Assoutentiwhich now calculates the possible impacts of the current economic situation on the pockets of families.
“In recent months, the bills emergency has been joined by that relating to expensive gasoline, with fuel prices that today cost 24% more at the pump than last year and an increase in expenses, only for refueling, equal to +402 euros per family – explains the president Furio Truzzi – Retail prices are also undergoing very high increases, both as a consequence of the expensive bills, and as a result of the higher costs of raw materials, with inflation which in January is jumped to + 4.8% and higher spending from 1,480 euros per family (for a total of +38.5 billion euros) “.
“Electricity, gas, petrol, retail prices and raw materials will cause a greater outlay for consumers alone, estimated as a total of approximately 78.5 billion euros, and an increase in total expenditure of approximately € 3,019 per family at the end of 2022 – continues Truzzi – In light of this situation, the measures approved by the government appear completely inadequate to deal with the serious emergencies in progress, and for this reason Assoutenti together with other consumer associations is preparing for protests and forms of legal struggle to protect the pockets. of families ”, he concludes.
The Codacons foresees new increases in electricity and gas tariffs to arrive starting from next April. Codacons considers the 5.5 billion euros for families and businesses put in place yesterday by the government with the bill decree to be completely insufficient. “The measures approved yesterday will not be enough to avoid a new rise in bills on the occasion of the next tariff update – explains the president Carlo Rienzi – This is because the funds put in place in favor of families and businesses are completely insufficient, while the other provisions of the bill decree will not produce effects in the short term ”.
“The sting for families and businesses caused by the energy emergency could thus reach 70 billion euros in 2022, with enormous repercussions on the consumption front and a tsunami on the economy. For this reason, and considering that hashtags and social campaigns on social media that cannot change the current situation by an inch by only wasting users’ time, Codacons – he announces – together with other consumer associations is studying a legal protest through a possible national self-reduction of bills, as was already the case with enormous success in the 1970s for SIP bills “.
But for Massimiliano Dona, president ofNational Consumers Union“in this difficult time, families who are unable to pay their bills can unfortunately only ask for payments to be made in installments, as required by the Budget Law. We urge consumers not to self-reduce their bills, an action that risks becoming a dangerous boomerang. These are things that were fashionable in the 70s, half a century ago: other times and other rules ”.
“It is good to know that if you do not pay by the invoice deadline, unless you adhere to the installment plan provided for by the Budget Law, you will only end up paying even heavier bills, burdened by default interest plus expenses. even risking the disconnection of the supply. In short, one would fall from the frying pan into the embers “continues Dona. “What the consumer can do, on the other hand, is to check whether their operator offers more favorable conditions” and “consumers can then protest by publishing their appeal to Prime Minister Draghi on social networks with the hashtag #siamoinbolletta, a way to put pressure on ‘executive and obtain a greater allocation and, above all, destined for this quarter instead of the next “, concludes Dona.
Although yesterday the Draghi government approved a new 6 billion euro measure to mitigate the expensive bills, in the first half of this year, households and businesses will in any case have to bear the cost of an increase of 33.8 billion euros. The study office of the Cgia. Compared to 20191, the Mestre artisans’ association estimated for the first half of this year an increase in the cost of electricity and gas bills of 44.8 billion euros, of which 15.4 for families and 29 , 4 to businesses. If from the total amount (44.8 billion) we reverse the mitigation measures implemented with the 2022 Budget law (3.8 billion), those introduced in the decree to combat the energy price increases of last January 21 (1.7 billion) and the 5.5 billion approved yesterday (amount, the latter, net of aid granted to Regions and local authorities), the extra cost to be paid, is the conclusion of the CGIA, remains of 33.8 billion euro: 8.9 on the shoulders of families and 24.9 on those of companies.