The draft resolution proposes to the government to take measures not only to introduce a moratorium on tariff increases, but also to prevent an increase in the population’s debts for public utilities.
A draft resolution appeared in the Verkhovna Rada, in which deputies are invited to apply to the Cabinet of Ministers with a request to establish a moratorium on raising all utility tariffs for Ukrainians for the period of martial law. The corresponding document No. 9102 was published on the website of the Parliament, it was sent for review on March 14, 2023.
As you know, in the summer of 2022, the Verkhovna Rada supported bill No. 7427 and established a moratorium on raising tariffs for heat and hot water during the war with Russia. But, according to the authors of the initiative, legislators have ignored other markets for such services, which are experiencing an equally difficult situation.
“Given the indicated and rapid rise in prices for all goods, products and services, a comprehensive approach is needed to resolve the issues of paying debts for the provided housing and communal services, as well as the political will of all branches of government, both legislative and executive, to establish a moratorium on tariff increases for utilities for the population,” the explanatory note says.
Therefore, the authors of the project, including MPs Dmitry Razumkov, Roman Babiy and Dmitry Shpenov, want the government to “set prices/tariffs for housing and communal services for household consumers for the period of martial law in Ukraine at the price/tariff level applied in relations between the supplier and relevant consumers as of February 24, 2022.”
Meanwhile, Ukraine is considering the possibility of introducing a minimum limit on electricity consumption and setting new tariffs for electricity, which would depend on the volume of consumption.
Thus, according to the head of the National Commission for Energy and Public Utilities (NKREKU) Konstantin Ushchapovsky, new models of the electricity market are being developed in Ukraine, and in this regard, several scenarios for increasing tariffs are being considered, including for the population.
In addition, the National Commission has already published preliminary tariffs for centralized water supply and sanitation. It is expected that tariffs will be increased in two stages: first on April 1, and again on July 1. The cost of services after the increase will rise in price by about 30%.
