The Government’s arguments on the need for raising tariffs to the European level should be considered comprehensively, particularly with reference to the level of wages.
This was stated by an expert in the field of energy and utilities Dmytro Dovzhenko.
Multifold increase in gas tariffs is economically unjustified, the expert said.
"In European countries, the cost of housing usually does not exceed 10-20% of the average wage. While in our country, after the increase of tariffs, almost all wages will be spent on utilities" – Dovzhenko says.
In this regard, he noted that the average salary in Ukraine today is the lowest in Europe.
The analyst notes that according to the plans of the Government, the price of natural gas will be formed at 3,600 UAH per thousand cubic meters for the first 200 cubic meters per month, and 7,800 UAH per thousand cubic meters – for the gas exceeding the said amount.
In turn, the social policy analyst with the Institute for Social Studies Marianna Onufryk said that at the current exchange rate, the minimum wage in Ukraine is 43 dollars per month, which is equivalent to 1.43 dollars per day.
"In accordance with the criteria of the UN, wages below $ 2 are considered poverty threshold. A $ 1.25 per day is the extreme poverty threshold. At the current rates of galloping devaluation, we will soon reach the latter figure. In such circumstances, tariff increases can lead to poverty and mass boycott of payment for utilities" – the expert believes.
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