The state abolishes the "quarantine" norms for the consumption of public services. Already in October, subsidy payments will decrease. And debtors will again begin to "cut off" from water, electricity and gas
Despite the fact that the country is again on the verge of a lockdown, the state wants to save money on social support. In the new heating season, the old norms for the consumption of utilities are returning, for which a subsidy may be charged. They are one and a half times less than those that operated in Ukraine during the quarantine period. This means that compensation for subsidies will be reduced. At the same time, a new law came into force, which allows consumers to be disconnected from public services for non-payment. Now all debtors are at risk, except for those who find themselves in the red zone of quarantine.
Subsidy payments will decrease
Power reduces social norms for consumer consumption / istockphoto.com
Subsidies for utility bills in our country are calculated according to social norms. First, the total amount of payments should not exceed 15% of the total family income. Secondly, the family must "fit" into the volumes of consumption of these same services determined by the state. That is, use no more cubes of water, gas and light than established by law.
Last year, when the country entered a covid peak, many Ukrainians had to stay at home because of the lockdown. Naturally, the consumption of housing and communal services has sharply increased in families: much more electricity, water, and gas are consumed. At the same time, incomes fell sharply, and people simply had nothing to pay for communal services. In this situation, the state met the citizens halfway and increased the consumption rates of utilities by 50%. For example, if before the pandemic the family was entitled to a subsidy for 30 cubic meters of gas, then in quarantine one could count on compensation for 45 cubic meters.
For many families, this benefit has become a real salvation. But for the state, the decision turned out to be an unaffordable expense item. Since the beginning of this year, subsidy payments have already exceeded the amount budgeted for the whole year. Last week, the Ministry of Social Policy had to ask the Cabinet of Ministers for this purpose an additional 12 billion. hrn.
To reduce the burden on the budget, the authorities decided to remove the "quarantine" surcharge to the consumption of utilities. So, starting from October, families who are counting on subsidies will have to save money. In the new heating season, the following social norms will apply (per month):
Water supply: cold water - 2 cubes per person (was 3); hot water - 1.6 cubic meters (was 2.4); drainage system - 3.6 cubic meters (was 5.4)
Gas supply: gas stove - 3.3 cubic meters per person (was 4.95); gas stove, if there is no hot water - 5.4 cubic meters (it was 8.1); gas stove and water heater - 10.5 cubic meters (was 15.75); heating - 4 cubic meters per 1 m2 of heated area (was 6)
Electricity: 70 kilowatts per person (was 105); if there is an electric stove - 110 kW (it was 165); if there is an electric stove and there is no hot water - 130 kW (it was 195); electric heating - 30 kW per 1 m2 of heated area (was 45)
Who will be left with the old rules on subsidies
The old norms will be left only for the red zones of the quarantine / istockphoto.com
In such conditions, it will be especially difficult for those who have not found a job or switched to remote. However, the state does not intend to make any more concessions in this regard. The only thing is that the authorities have promised to keep the increased consumption rates for housing and communal services for those regions that fall into the red zone of quarantine restrictions.
Everyone else will have to pay in full for the excess of social norms of consumption, as before. That is, a person who burned 85 kW of electricity in a month will receive a subsidy of 70 kW, and the difference (85 minus 70) will need to be covered without any additional payments from the state. The situation is similar for water and gas. At the same time, lawyers advise not to forget about payments and not to accumulate debts for housing and communal services in the hope of increasing quarantine. After all, utilities were again allowed to disconnect debtors from utilities.
Utility debts will be disconnected from services
Utility debts will again be disconnected from services / istockphoto.com
A ban on disconnecting debtors from utilities was also introduced at the beginning of the lockdown. According to the law, utilities did not have the right to collect money through the courts, and even more so to disconnect even the most persistent defaulters from services. As a result, in less than two years the number of debtors in housing and communal services increased by 50%. To date, the public utilities sector has accumulated more than $ 70 billion in debt. hrn.
Since September this year, the moratorium is no longer in effect. So utilities again have the right to take the toughest measures against debtors. For debts, the apartment can be disconnected from water, gas and electricity. Reconnection is possible only after the landlord pays off the debt. You will also have to pay for this out of pocket (depending on the service, this can cost from 600 to 2 thousand rubles). UAH.)
According to the law, only those debtors who are in red quarantine zone. However, this is a temporary indulgence. 30 days after the region moves from red to any other (even orange) zone, utilities will nevertheless come to the debtor. It should be borne in mind that disconnecting from a service is not the only way to deal with non-payers. By law, the service provider can file a claim in court, arrest the debtor's bank account and write off the funds available there to pay off the debt.
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