22 May, Minsk /Nadezhda Radivon - BELTA/. The increase in utility tariffs in Belarus will be phased. This was announced by Anatoly Shagun, Deputy Minister of Housing and Communal Services of Belarus, today during an online conference "Housing and Communal Services: Services, Tariffs, Quality" on the BELTA website. The socio-economic development program provides for reaching 60% of the population's reimbursement of costs for housing and communal services by 2015. Until 100% reimbursement, tariffs will be primarily increased for services with low cost, such as housing stock maintenance, water supply, sewerage, waste removal, and elevator maintenance. "For heat supply, it will be quite difficult for us to reach 100% reimbursement (this will require a significant tariff increase), and these 60% were calculated taking into account that heat supply in 2015 and beyond will still be subsidized from the budget in the housing and communal services sector," noted Anatoly Shagun. The improvement of tariff policy, in his opinion, will contribute to the development of competition in the housing and communal services market. So far, private enterprises have not shown much activity in this matter. -0-

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