Experts predicted the rate of change in prices for housing services
Russians began to pay more for “communal”. The average amount of a receipt in 2021 increased by 9% – up to 3.4 thousand rubles. Interestingly, prices will not stop there. The all-Russian rampant inflation will inevitably lead to an even greater rise in the cost of housing and communal services. Also, the reform of housing and communal services announced by Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin, which provides for bringing tariffs to economically justified, will also negatively affect the cost of heat and electricity.
Russians began to pay this year for housing and communal services by an average of 9% more, as shown by a study of one of the Russian banks. For three quarters of 2021, the average check amounted to 3.4 thousand rubles, and last year – 3.1 thousand. But such an increase, obviously, is not the limit. 9% is even more than official inflation, which is currently 7.6% and is the highest in the last 5 years.
Earlier, Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin instructed to bring tariffs to economically justified, or, in other words, to revise them upwards, since there is not enough money to upgrade the networks. At the same time, according to him, the circle of recipients of payment subsidies will also be expanded.
Note that the current marginal indexes of the cost of utilities are tied to the inflation index. Based on these indices, regional regulators set tariffs for heat and electricity, gas, cold and hot water. Different heat supply organizations operate in different regions and cities, and tariffs for them also differ due to the individual costs of producing 1 Gcal of heat energy.
According to Andrey Loboda, top manager in the field of financial communications, the average amount of a receipt for housing and communal services for the first 9 months of this year in the amount of 3.4 thousand rubles looks very underestimated. According to his observations, in large metropolitan areas of the European part of Russia, the owners of a modest “kopeck piece” were billed on average 7-8 thousand rubles. in winter and within 4–5 thousand rubles. in the summer.
The economist believes that the information that has appeared that the increase in tariffs is going to stop restraining the level of inflation and bring it to an economically justified level is a very alarming signal. It often happens that resource workers try to justify the increase by repairs and modernization of utilities, and then the prosecutor’s office finds out that bonuses for top managers are included in the increase in tariffs.
“If the official inflation is still below the 9% mark, the really tangible inflation for citizens with modest incomes – and there are about 75% of the total population in Russia – is already felt in the range of 25-30%. This is also understood by companies in the industry related to housing and communal services. Many of them are private and very successful, their shares are traded on stock exchanges, their main task is to make a profit, and not to engage in social support of citizens, ”emphasizes Loboda.
At the same time, other experts do not see the increase in the price of “communal” by the malicious intent of market participants. The reason for the increase in the average payment for utilities, according to Dmitry Gordeev, a member of the RF CCI Committee on Entrepreneurship in the Field of Housing and Utilities, is objective.
“The very marginal cost of utilities is defined as the product of tariffs and consumption standards. But since the winter of 2020–2021. was colder and lasted longer than usual, the actual payment for metering devices was higher than the standards. And the winter of 2019–2020. was shorter and warmer. Therefore, citizens paid for the amount of heat that they consumed, – says Gordeev. – This is true. Moreover, the recipients of targeted subsidies paid part of the cost of heat energy consumed in the last winter through budget subsidies ”. The expert notes that this is the advantage of providing targeted subsidies over non-targeted tariff containment, in which some resource supplying organizations (RSOs) simply cannot ensure the reliability and quality of services.
Natalya Chernysheva, a specialist in the field of housing and communal services, director of the People’s Control Organization, believes that an increase in tariffs above the inflation rate will affect everyone, and targeted support will affect only a few.
“Tariffs will grow more than subsidies for housing and communal services will increase, and people may simply not feel the growth of targeted support. If we simply decouple the growth of tariffs from the level of inflation, then we can see an increase in bills by 10-12% or more. “
Newspaper headline:
Kommunalka is growing faster than inflation
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