Growing popular anger | Regime authorities raise prices of gas and electricity, despite deteriorating living situation
SOHR activists have reported growing popular anger in regime-held areas over the new decisions issued by the Ministry of Electricity and Ministry of Internal Trade and Consumer Protection, raising the prices of gas and electricity by 100% at a time when most of the areas controlled by the Syrian regime suffer from power outages for long time every day and lack of gas cylinder and their high prices in black markets.
Yesterday, the Ministry of Internal Trade and Consumer Protection set the price of a 10-kilogram gas cylinder sold without smart cards at 30,600 SYL. This price is nearly two doubles of the gas cylinders sold via smart cards, which have been also risen from 4,200 SYL to 9,700 SYL eache.
The ministry also set the 10-kilogram gas cylinders sold via smart card at 40,000 SYL each, while the gas cylinders of the same capacity sold without smart card has been risen to 49,000 SYL each.
According the Ministry of Internal Trade and Consumer Protection’s statement, the decree is applied from today.
The ministry also justified the new prices to the sanctions imposed on the Syrian regime, and that a gas cylinder costs 30,000 SYL, and according to the new process two thirds of the value of the gas cylinders are subsidized by the government, as the ministry claimed.
On the other hand, the Ministry of Electricity of the Syrian regime has raised electricity prices. According to the recent decree, , the price of a kilowatt of electricity on residential units has been risen as follows:
- First tier of consumption: from 1 to 2 SYL.
- Second tier of consumption: from 3 to 6 SYL.
- Third tier of consumption: from 6 to 20 SYL.
- Fourth tier of consumption: from 10 to 90 SYL.
- Fifth tier of consumption: from 25 to 150 SYL.
The new decisions make Syrian people in regime-controlled areas shoulder extra burdens at a time when they have already been grappling with chronic crises, deteriorating living situation, astronomically inflated prices of essential products, lack of job opportunities, and low salaries.