The effects of falling energy prices can be seen in electricity bills: in the next quarter, from April to June, they will drop by more than half, with a reference price set for households in the protected market at 55.3% less than the previous three months. This is what explains Arera, which, after the last Government decree, intervened in the general tariffs of the system, also redefining them for the next quarter for the majority of gas customers and confirming the reinforcement of social bonuses for electricity and gas for households with Isee up to 15,000 euros , which rises to 30,000 for large families with at least 4 dependent children. Instead, general system tariffs are reactivated for all electricity customers, including domestic users.
“The new decrease in the electricity reference price confirms that we are on the right track – underlines the Minister for Business Adolfo Urso – The decrease, which stems from the sharp drop in wholesale prices and the measures implemented by the Government in the last few hours, is a result significant benefit to families and therefore to the Italian economy”.
However, the cost is still high. In terms of bottom-line effects, a typical household will spend around €1,267 on electricity between July 1, 2022 and June 30, 2023, 33.7% more than in the equivalent 12 months of the previous year. “We are in a new and, in a way, still delicate phase of this long crisis – underlines the president of Arera, Stefano Besseghini – Wholesale gas prices show a market that has taken seriously the European effort of diversification and consolidation of infrastructures. to signals being quickly transferred to end consumers as well, also thanks to a regulatory system that works. However, we cannot lose focus on the commitments assumed and the implementation of the choices made”.
The associations applaud the excellent news, but stress the importance of restoring the system’s costs. For the UNC if the government had not reactivated them “the drop would have been even greater, 61.6% instead of 55.3%”.
A decision, that of the executive, “bad that involves an implicit hidden tax equal to 90 euros. In short, as already done for gasoline, we took advantage of the price drop in the wholesale markets, due to the second warmest winter ever in Europe, to raise taxes on Italians, not realizing that the accounts are still anomalous compared to normal times”.
According to the UNC study, if -55.3% for a typical family in guardianship means spending 793 euros less annually, the savings could have reached 883 euros if the charges had not been reintroduced. In addition, the total expenditure for the next twelve months (not therefore according to the current year, but from April 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024, assuming constant prices) remains high, 641 euros, which added to the 1210 of gas, determine a total cost of 1852 euros.
For Federconsumatori “the lack of sterilization of loads is also in our view inexplicable, which is why we ask the Government to take a step back, inviting it to extend the discount on tariffs also for electricity and not to eliminate prematurely, as was done for fuel, the protections introduced above all in favor of families in greater difficulty, just as undue charges such as the television fee and contributions for renewables continue to weigh on the electricity bill, the latter of which must be imputed to general taxation”.
Source: IL Tempo
Roy Brown is a renowned economist and author at The Nation View. He has a deep understanding of the global economy and its intricacies. He writes about a wide range of economic topics, including monetary policy, fiscal policy, international trade, and labor markets.
