Utilities tariff has grown 50% for the year

On September 1, price of utilities will rise by almost 10%. This is provided for by the Decree 550 which defines the algorithms of increases in utility prices during the year. According to the Decree, the quarterly rates for utility payments will be indexed depending on the salaries of Belarusians.

According to Igar Famin, director of the department for pricing policy of the Ministry of Economy, in the first half of the year Belarusians covered about 31% of the cost of utilities versus 24.4% last summer. At the same time, the same year saw the increase of the payment by as much as 58%! Why did the rates increase significantly, while the level of cost recovery didn't? 

"As it happens, the costs of organizations providing utilities are growing, explained the disparity employee at the Ministry of Economy. Maintenance and utilities boards are also legal entities, and for them the rate of inflation is indexed accordingly. Prices for gas did not change in dollars, but they did change in Belarusian rubles. Do not forget about inflation."

Interestingly, Belarusians have been paying 100% for some services for quite a while. For example, removal of municipal solid waste and its processing is fully financed by the tenants. Gas and electricity bills are also almost completely paid for by Belarusians. 

Euroradio wondered howthe new payslip worth 40 thousand rubles more will affect the household budgets.

Pensioners were most unhappy about the increase of utility bills. 

"Of course, I live within my means even when I'm washing the dishes. I use bathroom less, and even when the husband is shaving, I teach him to have the tap closed," says retired Tatstsiana. She and her husband live on a pension, so she tries be economical. 

But Alyaksandr, who is an office worker, doesn't particularly pay attention to the cost of utilities. He says one visit to the store costs more these days. 

"For me not taking an extra bath is a nonsense, even if it costs 5,000 rubles more. It's good that my salary allows for that."

Anzhalika from Pinsk notes that even though utility payments are not exactly small now, they don't really affect her family budget.

"We live in a 3-room flat. In summer utilities cost about 500-600 thousand rubles, but that does not include hot water. We are soon to host Dazhynki festival, and we are having pipes replaced. We haven't had hot water for 4 months. But we bought a boiler. We are used to comfort." Anzhalika adds that the increase in tariffs is a natural phenomenon: pensions are rising, wages are rising, tariffs are rising!

How much cost of each service from the utility bill do Belarusians cover?