Saakashvili Slams Russia, Orders to Partly Subsidize Electricity Tax
President Saakashvili said on April 25 that by increasing the gas price, which eventually will lead to an increase of electricity prices as well, Russia aimed at “creating problems for each Georgian family.”
At a session of the government’s energy commission on April 25 Saakashvili instructed the government to subsidize the increased price of electricity for the most socially vulnerable citizens. Although neither the date of the planned increase nor the new rate for electricity tariff is known yet, Finance Minister Lexo Alexishvili said that about GEL 10-11 million will be needed to subsidize the increased tariffs.
“Russia’s major motivation behind this decision to increase the price of gas [from USD 63 to USD 110] – which will subsequently lead to an increase in the price of electricity, as most of our electricity is generated by the imported gas – was to create more problems for each Georgian family and to make each family suffer… This increase of the gas price has a very concrete goal: to make each Georgian family feel that they are being punished for pursuing an independent course, for wanting to restore territorial integrity and economic development. We should spare no efforts to maximally minimize and prevent this targeted attack by certain people in Russia against Georgian families,” Saakashvili said.
He said that the government should also partially subsidize electricity tariffs for those citizens “who consume small amounts of electricity.”
