Baku, Azerbaijan, Mar.3
By Fatih Karimov - Trend:
The Iranian administration increased water bills for both rural and urban families by 20 per cent, the Mehr News Agency reported on March 3.
A new tariff has been applied as of the previous calendar month of Bahman (ended Feb. 19).
On September 15, 2013, Iran's Energy Ministry increased electricity bills of subscribers from 430 rials (about 0.02 cents) per kilowatt hours to 433 rials.
The ministry has added the sum to electricity bills in order to secure a fund for implementing power supply projects in villages and expand the use of renewable energy, the Mehr News Agency quoted Iran's Energy Minister Hamid Chitchian as saying.
Chitchian said on January 11, that at present, 50 percent of families across the country pay less than 50,000 rials for their water and electricity bills.
He added that the subsidy reform plan has stipulated raising water and electricity stage by stage, but the law has not been implemented properly. So, we decided to raise water and electricity bills considering that related costs have been increased.
The Iranian government implemented the first stage of the subsidy reform plan toward the end of 2010 in an attempt to wean the country off food and fuel subsidies.
The plan allows the government to gradually slash subsidies on fuel, electricity and certain goods over the course of five years with low-income families being compensated by direct cash hand-outs.
The subsidy reform plan pays 45,500 rials (about $18) to Iranians, eliminating subsidies for fuels and some commodities.
The Iranian parliament (Majlis) approved the government implementing the second phase of the subsidy reform plan at the beginning of the second quarter of the next Iranian calendar year, Iran's IRNA News Agency reported on February 4.
Edited by S.M.