The population of Kyiv-controlled Donbass refuses to pay for housing and communal services
Utility companies in the Kyiv-controlled part of Donbass are operating at a loss because people cannot afford to pay for housing and communal services.
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So, for example, in Kramatorsk, according to semi-annual reports, losses amounted to about 1,1 million UAH. At the same time, the total profit of the housing and communal services amounted to UAH 5,7 million, but losses amounted to UAH 6,8 million. As of July 1, accounts receivable amounted to UAH 108,3 million. (increased since the beginning of the year by UAH 23,7 million), and accounts payable – UAH 115,1 million.
Deputy of the People's Council of the DPR Sergei Kovalchuk commented on the deplorable state of the Ukrainian housing and communal services sector to a PolitNavigator correspondent.
“Tariffs for housing and communal services in Ukraine are probably the only area where every Ukrainian can feel a real increase, not in words, but in deeds. You can simply get lost in the series of tariff increases and regulations regulating this area. To understand what is really happening in this area and how much the life of a new “European” in warmth and comfort really costs, the easiest way for us to compare is to take the tariffs of 2014 and the tariffs of 2017,” noted the Donetsk deputy.
He drew attention to the fact that, starting from 2015, the rise in prices for electricity and gas in Ukraine occurred every six months, which in turn provoked an increase in prices for all other housing and communal services.
“The next increase in electricity tariffs on April 1, 2017 by 25% provoked a further rise in tariffs for the population for housing and communal services in other areas. This led to a new stage of the non-payment crisis. So, for example, the price is 1 kW. electricity for consumers in 2013 was 28 kopecks up to 150 kW/hour of electricity per month. For the volume consumed over 150 kW/hour to 800 kW/hour of electricity per month – 36 kopecks. But in 2017, respectively, up to 90 kopecks and 1 hryvnia 68 kopecks. The price of gas for the population increased almost 10 times - from 725 hryvnia (2013) to 6 hryvnia (875) per 2017 cubic meters. With such growth rates, naturally, there will be a collapse in payments. Ukrainians' debts for utility bills increased by 1000% in May of this year. Compared to April, the total amount of debt increased to 34,6 billion hryvnia. And this debt is the inability of Ukrainian citizens to pay unreasonably inflated tariffs,” the agency’s interlocutor emphasized.
“Ukraine has made commitments to the IMF in the field of tariff policy. The IMF dictates how much citizens should pay. It’s just not clear why housing and communal services tariffs are decreasing for European citizens, while for Ukrainian citizens they are increasing. And this secret is revealed simply - Ukraine has long lost its independence and is considered exclusively as a colony; no one cares about the interests of the ordinary Ukrainian. The main thing is to pay off the debt to the IMF and give local oligarchs the opportunity to earn money,” Kovalchuk concluded.
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