Increasing Salaries and Pensions: Expert Named a Simple Way to Pull Ukrainians Out of Debt Hole for Utilities.

Ukrainians' utility debts have reached a record level of 200 billion hryvnias, reported the head of the Utility Consumers Union, expert in housing and communal services Oleg Popenko.

According to him, the formation of debts is uncontrolled. At the beginning of 2022, the debt for housing and utility services was 81.3 billion hryvnias, but official figures are no longer published. Taking into account the occupied territories, the total amount of debts is about 200 billion hryvnias.

The expert emphasized that the planned increase in tariffs will not solve the debt problem but will make it even more complicated. The funds obtained from tariff increases will be used to pay off existing debts, which are very large. For example, the debt for gas in heat and communal energy exceeds 100 billion hryvnias.

'This is a vicious circle that needs to be addressed,' emphasized Popenko. The expert believes that it is necessary to conduct an audit of debts and clarify the validity of each of them. For example, in Kyiv, 'Naftogaz' has calculated the city a debt of 20.7 billion hryvnias, half of which consists of penalties.

According to the expert, to solve the debt problem, it is first necessary to increase the population's purchasing power by raising salaries and pensions. 'How can one pay for housing and utility services when your pension is only 2,500 hryvnias?' emphasized Popenko.