The prices in the Republic of Moldova should have grown less, but gradually. The authorities delayed the increase in prices and adjustment of tariffs for political reasons and inflation exploded as a result, hitting a record high in Europe, said energy expert Victor Parlicov. For their part, representatives of the government said the authorities are trying to help the citizens cope with the high prices by increasing pensions and salaries, IPN reports.
According to official data, the Republic of Moldova witnesses the highest inflation rate in Europe, of 27%. The central bank forecast that inflation can reach 31%. Expert Victor Parlicov noted that a part of the blame for this situation is borne by the authorities that artificially maintained the prices and tariffs at a low level for a long period of time.
“A large part of inflation in the Republic of Moldova is a consequence of the increase in prices globally and of the delay in increasing prices in the Republic of Moldova. This is a delayed effect. The inflation rate of 27% is for the past 12 months. If the prices had been raised gradually, the jump in prices would have been smaller. The highest inflation in Europe is the effect of a delayed increase in prices. The prices and tariffs should have been adjusted earlier, but they put off this too much. The gas prices generated a wave of inflation and the Government now can no longer provide subsidies. They subsidized in winter as long as they could, but now the prices had to be adjusted,” Victor Parlicov stated in the program “In Depth” on ProTV Chisinau channel.
Representatives of the government said they realize the difficult situation of the citizens who find it difficult to cope with the soaring inflation. According to PAS MP Radu Marian, the Government supports the population by increasing pensions and salaries and by subsidizing the citizens with low incomes.
“Increasing the incomes of the people, especially of the most vulnerable ones, and supporting the businesses for these to be kept are the most efficient ways by which the Government can help. That’s why we increased the minimum pension by 60% last October and now have also the indexation. A pensioner now gets by 500-600 lei on average more than last year. Over 1 million families befitted from subsidies for natural gas in the amount of about 3,500 lei. The minimum salary in the budget-funded sector was raised by 60%. We extended the list of products on which the profit margin was capped. Over 300 inspections have been carried out so far this year to determine the correctness of prices of social products. We partially subsidize the excise duty on gasoline for farmers. Surely, it is never enough,” stated Radu Marian.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics, the prices in Moldova this April rose by 27.07% on last April. Food prices grew by 30.17%, while nonfood prices increased by 19.13%. Tariffs rose by 34.40%.
