Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman has said gas tariffs may be revised downwards if the purchase price of gas imported by the country is reduced.
”We have set the maximum price of gas, which cannot be above [this level], and if the [purchase] price of gas is lower, then the price [set by the government] will also be adjusted,” Groysman stated on air to a Ukrainian TV channel.
As UNIAN reported earlier, on April 27, the Cabinet of Ministers set a single gas price for households at UAH 6,879 per 1,000 cubic meters. The Ukrainian prime minister said the difficult decision could trigger a broad public debate, but it would help Ukraine get rid of all existing schemes that allowed earnings on a difference in gas tariffs. At the same time, he noted that the total amount of public funds spent on compensating the difference between the market price of gas and its actual sales price had already reached some $50 billion.
Further, the Cabinet additionally allocated UAH 5.3 billion for subsidies this year to cover higher gas bills of the subsidies` recipients in connection with the introduction of the single price of gas. Thus, gas subsidies in 2016 are expected to exceed UAH 40 billion. According to the Ukrainian government, the amount will be enough to cover the gas costs of low-income households.
Also, the national energy regulator from July 1 increased central heating and hot water tariffs in Ukraine by an average of 75-90% against the backdrop of establishing a single natural gas price.
Top stories
Not only Russia. How populists destroy the greatness of the West Wednesday, October 4, 2023 - 06:27 (EEST)
-
