Igor Artemiev: stable tariffs is not only stability for our citizens but also for our businessmen, our plants and factories

“Due to the shortcomings of the law on tariff-making for the housing-and-utility services, consumer prices vary significantly in different regions”, said Head of FAS Igor Artemiev at the meeting with President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin on 26 April 2017.

Head of the antimonopoly authority pointed out that it is rather difficult to explain the reasons of varied tariff policy for the population. He emphasized: “People do not understand at all where tariffs come from. The spread of tariffs in the regions is related to an enormous number of gaps and holes, possibility to change the government policy at in the regions remotely, hiding behind those gaps and holes or specifics of our law”.

Igor Artemiev said that a federal law on tariff regulation, drafted by FAS, shall lay the foundation for transition to new principles of tariff regulation, unifying legal, economic and organizational approaches to state tariff regulation, and the stability of the tariff regulatory framework, which is the basis for economic development and attracting investments in the housing-and-utility sector and the electric power industry.

The objective of the federal law is to protect consumer interests, ensure availability of goods ands services, achieve an optimal balance of economic interests of consumers and regulated entities.  All this will ensure sustainable development of the economy based on the long-term tariff-regulation and increased well-being of the population. It will also create conditions for advancing competition as well as for economic incentives that involve resource-saving technologies in production.

“The Government has already acknowledged that such a law is necessary, and we shall undertake thorough and determined efforts working on it. This is the pillar of the future stability in this field”, concluded Igor Artemiev.