The mechanism for providing subsidies for the cold period of the year will cost the state budget 5 billion lei, Minister of Labor and Social Protection Marcel Spatari announced in the program “Résumé with Ileana Pîrgaru” on RliveTV channel. According to the official, 90% of the citizens of the Republic of Moldova will benefit from state support so that the heat bill is closer in value to last year’s bill. All the citizens will declare online their revenues and the state authorities, based on these figures, will calculate how much of the heat or gas bill will be subsidized, IPN reports.
The minister admitted that most of the Moldovans cannot cope with a gas rate of 23 lei. He assured that the Government will not abandon the citizens to cope alone with the challenges in winter and will pay the largest part of the heat bill. He said that even the persons with a salary of 20,000 lei are energy vulnerable.
“The subsidies will be provided through the bill so as to maintain the value of the bill at last year’s level. 5 billion lei will be needed for the cold period of the year. The subsidies will be offered by categories. There is a category of people who cope very well. These are successful businessmen or former statesmen. This part of the population will form part of the non-vulnerable category. The salary of 20,000 lei helps to manage in life, but is not enough to pay a bill of 5,000 lei. This means that the largest part of the population is vulnerable. Over 90% of the citizens will fall into the four categories of energy vulnerability. The amounts that will be subsidies for each of the categories will not differ much. Even those with average vulnerability will get a consistent subsidy. The subsidies will be significant for everyone as our goal is to maintain last year’s price,” stated Marcel Spatari.
According to the minister, all the citizens will fill out the energy vulnerability form online and will indicate the family’s incomes. The salaries paid illegally will surely not be indicated, but the Government banks on the decency of each citizen.
“In October and November, all the households will register in an information system. There will be an online form through which the incomes will be declared so that we see what costs the households incur for energy. Other social aspects will also be taken into account, such as the disability degree. In a month of the collection of information, the Government will present the criteria for dividing the money depending on the four categories of energy vulnerability. We have many pensioners who cannot register online and we will engage the social assistants here. There will be verified the sources of income known by the state, namely the salaries, pensions, allowances. It is very hard to verify, but it is better than doing nothing. The first year, we will begin with own responsibility statements that will be verified at random. Our goal is not to penalize the people. They will be only transferred to another category if it is determined that they didn’t declare correctly,” said Marcel Spatari.
The National Agency for Energy Regulation set a new gas rate of 22.99 lei per cubic meter of gas with VAT included. The new rate will start to be applied when the relevant decision is published in the Official Gazette.
