The Ministry of Construction has proposed further increasing fees for heating, water supply, and sanitation.
These will be "investment premiums" on top of the tariffs planned for capital repairs of worn-out utility networks. The Ministry of Construction has developed proposals and plans to send document for consideration by the Government of the Russian Federation before the beginning of December.
Investment allowances: what the Ministry of Construction is proposing
The issue was discussed at a roundtable discussion in the Federation Council dedicated to preparations for the heating season.
Participants discussed the deterioration of utility infrastructure in many regions: it is extremely high. Current tariffs are only sufficient for routine maintenance, not for large-scale pipeline replacement.
The Ministry of Construction also proposed allowing regions to include all actual utility costs in tariffs, as they are currently allegedly understated. This should ensure a more complete reflection of the actual costs of housing and utilities companies and increase the transparency of tariff regulation.
How tariff regulation will change
In addition to the surcharges, the ministry proposes to completely transfer authority to the regions for setting tariff growth indices for the population.
The Ministry of Construction believes the proposals will help resolve the problem of chronic underfunding for the modernization of public utility infrastructure.
According to the Deputy Director of the Department for Housing and Public Utilities Development of the Ministry of Construction Fedor Kozlov, the target increase will be "small".
Record tariff increase from October 1
Tariffs for housing and communal services were raised only on October 1, and this factor already brought to significant inflation. Increase became a record over the past 17 years: in On average, tariffs increased by 15%. Judging by comments from NeMoskva subscribers, the average housing and utilities fee has reached 12 rubles for a 50-square-meter apartment. In some regions, the same amount costs 16 to 18 rubles, depending on the year the building was built.
