We will have to pay even more

The deficit of the "Naftogaz of Ukraine" today is 70 billion hryvnias, so higher gas prices for the population are inevitable.

This was announced at the briefing by the Deputy Minister of Energy and Coal Industry Vadim Ulida.

"Today, however painful, it is the only option by which the world lives.If a product costs money, it must be paid for. If you do not pay for it, then the quality drops first, and then the product itself disappears. The issue of increasing prices for gas or utilities is the issue of bringing their prices to conform to their cost. That is, the cost of the gas produced to provide these services," – he said.

"We have today a huge deficit of the "Naftogaz" – about 70 billion hryvnias which must be compensated.People are told: tariffs were lower before. On the one hand, they were low, but on the other hand, this leads the deficit that is compensated from the budget, that is at the expense of taxes, salaries in the public sector", – Ulida said.

According to him, it is important to gradually increase gas prices, bringing them to the reasonable level.

"It is not about making profit on this, but at least to cover the cost," – he said.

Simultaneously, according to Ulida, targeted subsidies should be introduced. This issue is currently being developed separately by the Ministry of Social Policy.

Source: zik