Kazakhstan to continue utility price hikes despite short-term delay – prime ministerKazakhstan will proceed with planned increases to utility tariffs despite a recent temporary pause aimed at curbing inflation, Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov announced Tuesday."Contrary to some reports, the tariff increases have not been suspended. I want to make this clear today - the utility tariffs will continue to grow," Bektenov said at a government press conference in Astana.The prime minister acknowledged the unpopular nature of the decision but stressed its necessity."It is a painful, unpleasant issue, but the government is openly discussing it and taking measures to bring tariffs to market levels. The situation where tariffs were heavily regulated for a very long period and absolutely did not allow for investment in the utility infrastructure led to what we saw in 2022-2023 - the accidents in Ekibastuz and Ridder. If we want to have heat in our homes in winter, to have electricity and water, we will have to allow the utility tariffs to rise," he said.On July 8, the government announced that it would delay planned utility rate increases to help curb accelerating inflation."Paid services have become a main driver of inflation, which rose by 16.1% in the first half of the year. The government has decided to adjust the timeline for utility rate increases, postponing some hikes to later dates to reduce financial pressure on households and stabilize inflation," the press service of the government said. (ICE ALMATY)

Fonte notizia: INTERFAX