Communal payments raised more than Lukashenka had promised :: Charter'97 :: News

Ministry of statistics and analysis of Belarus confirmed that tariffs for communal-general services to the population had increased in January once again. Quantitative analysis of the payments shows that the increase was much higher than that promised by the government and head of the Belarusian state. Alyaksadr Lukashenka promised in public that the communal payments raise in the course of 2007 would not exceed 5 dollars. But in the first month this indicator was surpassed.

A week ago the Belarusians received a so- called monthly gyros (bills) for January. In comparison with the previous month the totals increased by not less than 10 %. Ivan Antashkevich, former head of the city communal service, reports:

“The difference in my communal payments, as compared to the previous month, comprised 27 thousand, that is more that 10 dollars. It is absolutely clear that the authorities won’t keep their promises especially if the general financial situation in the country, which has worsened by USD 5 billion in comparison with 2006, is taken into account. And as far as the communal payments are concerned, their monthly increase has exceeded the promised annual one”.

The average communal payments increase in January comprised 12%, as compared with December. Electric power costs grew by 20%, gas-by 20% and central heating by 14.5%. The situation has been estimated by economist Leanid Zlotnikau:

“I guess, that wasn’t the last price raise this year. If head of the state had promised the annual 5-dollar increase and in January this figure was surpassed, it means that the limit has been already exhausted. Their tariffs may not be increased any more this year. The annual limit has been already exhausted. And each month we are to pay as in January. But I don’t believe that. This year both the government and the budget will live the hard life”.

Economist Ivan Antashkevich wasn’t more optimistic either:

“I predict that by summer the situation will become supercatastrophic. It may result in general financial breakdowns, general crash of the banking sphere, of the monetary-lending relationship and all this may presumably lead to default”.