Armenians to Face 50% Hike in Gas Price; Government Against Bearing Burden

YEREVAN (RFE/RL)–Gas prices in Armenia are scheduled to increase by 50% this April. The price hike is coming via ArmRosGazProm, the Russian-dominated national gas company. Although the IMF says the government of Armenia should subsidize the increased costs for its struggling population, the government has said it will pass the bill on to the consumers.

ArmRosGazprom (ARG), has asked the regulatory body to approve its bid to raise the price of natural gas supplied to individual consumers from the current 96 drams ($0.25) per cubic meter to 136 drams (about $0.36)–a 50% increase. 

Most experts expect the Public Services Regulatory Commission to largely approve the distribution company’s bid and agree that the resulting increase in gas prices will mostly hit the vulnerable strata of the society.

The Armenian government has already indicated that no compensations are planned for the population. Responding to a question about a possible subsidy over higher gas prices late last year, Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan particularly spoke against general subsidies.

“No such thing has even occurred to me, and I do not advise that you should prompt that to anyone. No, I am not a proponent of that,” said the head of the Armenian government without elaborating as to whether targeted subsidies would be appropriate.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF), however, deems that targeted subsidies, if administered correctly, would be an appropriate policy response to the increase in gas prices expected in Armenia in April.

This position voiced in an RFE/RL interview by IMF Mission Chief for Armenia Mark Lewis appears to contradict the main arguments of the Armenian government that international donor organizations are against subsidies.

“Generally with these kinds of policy changes it can be very effective to provide targeted subsidies, not general subsidies. So, the principle is that if there is a policy change and it has a negative impact, you try to help the people that are most affected,” said the IMF mission chief for Armenia. “So, indeed, we do support in specific cases targeted subsidies to help the poor.”

Meanwhile, ARG Deputy Director Vahagn Arakelian said earlier this week that individual consumers will have to spend up to 2,000 drams (about $5.2) more on the average per month in connection with the expected price rise. He added, however, that it was up to the government to decide whether to provide subsidies or not.

“We cannot subsidize. Solving social problems is not our task. This is up to the government to decide, because they know who are the consumers [that need it],” said Arakelian. “We will pay considerably more in taxes – 5 billion drams (about $13.1 million) in value-added tax. This is several times more than needed to provide compensation for such people… And this is what will be a social state when the rich pay for what they should pay.”