May 29, Minsk /BELTA/. Housing and utility services for the population in Belarus will become more expensive. This decision is contained in the Resolution of the Council of Ministers of May 28, 2012 No. 486 "On Amendments to the Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus of February 4, 2011 No. 138", which will come into force on June 1 of the current year, the press service of the Belarusian government informed a BELTA correspondent.
The document was adopted to gradually increase the level of reimbursement by the population of the costs of providing housing and utility services. According to the resolution, payments for a family of three living in a standard two-room apartment with a total area of 48 sq.m, including heating, will increase by Br17 thousand, or by 8.6%, including Br10 thousand for thermal energy for heating and hot water supply, and Br7 thousand for water supply and sewerage services. The press service recalled that tariffs for water supply and sewerage services for the population have not been revised since February 2011. Thus, the cost of housing and utility services for a family of three living in a standard two-room apartment with a total area of 48 sq.m will be Br216.4 thousand during the heating period and Br137.9 thousand during the summer period.
The press service of the Council of Ministers emphasized that, taking into account the measures taken by the government to increase the income of the population in 2012, the share of payments for housing and utility services in family incomes will not increase with the specified tariff increase.
The Belarusian government recalled that the calculations for the Law of Belarus "On the Republican Budget for 2012" provide for the reimbursement of 35% of the costs of providing housing and utility services by organizations of the Ministry of Housing and Communal Services system through payments from the population. Currently, the cost recovery rate is less than 13%.
To increase the payback of housing and utility services, measures are being taken in the country to reduce the cost of services provided. Thus, according to the results of the first quarter of the current year, the costs of providing housing and utility services to the population as a whole decreased by 10.5% in comparable conditions compared to the same period in 2011, with a set target of at least 10%. Cost savings amounted to Br101.5 billion. At the same time, given the objective reasons for the increase in the costs of providing housing and utility services, it is not possible to fulfill the established parameter for the level of cost recovery by the population solely by reducing the cost of services, the press service of the Council of Ministers emphasized. -0-