At a meeting with the people, our president categorically stated that we will have an increase in tariffs for housing and communal services once, in the summer. However, the capital’s utilities could not resist the temptation and still increased the cost of their services since January this year…
One way or another, but in Moscow, housing maintenance and repair, major repairs have risen in price, as well as tariffs for social hiring of non-privatized apartments have increased.
The bills with the new rates will arrive in February. Prices will also vary depending on housing conditions. For example, in houses with elevators and garbage chutes, the service for the maintenance and repair of this “equipment” has risen in price from 38.93 to 42.41 rubles per square meter of the total area of the apartment, that is, by 3.48 rubles. If there is no garbage chute in the house or it is welded, then the payment is less. If there is no elevator, even less. If you live in a house with all amenities, but on the ground floor, you will pay less, because you do not use the elevator. Since January 1, the minimum amount of this tariff has increased, but residents at a general meeting can increase it – for example, if they want to somehow improve the entrances.
The tariff for capital repairs from January 1 increased from 24.09 rubles per square meter to 25.58. An increase of 1.49 rubles. In total, the payment for housing services for Muscovites will increase by almost five rubles per square meter. If the total area of the apartment is 50 “squares”, then the January payment will rise in price by almost 250 rubles. At the same time, utilities (heating, hot water, electricity, and others) will become more expensive only in the summer of 2024.
Although, in theory, this increase in tariffs could well have been postponed to the summer, so as not to let the president down. Let us remind you once again: Vladimir Putin in April 2023, during a conversation with the workers of Tulazheldormash, said that the indexation of tariffs, scheduled for July 2023, was carried out at the end of 2022. “Starting from January 1 next year, we have moved the next indexation to July 1, 2024. Thus, there should be no indexation for a year and a half,” Putin said. And his words were repeatedly quoted in the press, on TV and on the Internet.
Citizens quite reasonably express their perplexity about this: how is it that the evil communal spirits are so strong that they can put the first person of the state in an awkward position even on the eve of the presidential elections? Is there really no justice for them?
These communal demons do not even see the need to look for at least some kind of excuse. In response to citizens’ claims, they say that tariffs have not been increased for all, but only for two services. This increase looks especially cynical against the background of the communal disaster that has broken out in Russia. Are they really going to get away with it again?..
Not only are people paying more and more for substandard services, but the state is also forced to spend a lot of money on subsidies to the poor to pay for housing and communal services. Those who spend more than 20 percent of the family budget on utility bills can count on help. Currently, about 765 thousand Muscovites receive these payments, more than 80 percent of whom are pensioners. The remaining categories are the unemployed, large families, students and other vulnerable categories of people. Are we going to pay out of the public pocket of the communal mafia?
Galina Kaluzhskaya.
Photo: Adobe Stock
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