Households in the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area (AMBA) currently allocate more than 6 percent of their income to paying electricity and gas rates, according to studies by private consulting firms. This is the highest number in the last 30 years.
The average expense of Level 1 users in March was 4.1 percent with respect to the RIPTE salary and in just three months it rose to 6.4 percent. As for low-income users (Tier 2), it went from 1.5 percent to 4.1 percent, while for middle-income users (Tier 3) it increased from 1.5 percent to 4.8 percent.
This trend is mainly due to the marked decline in salaries measured in dollars, which in the first half of the year were at the lowest value in the last 20 years.
Evaluating average natural gas bills, the current 3.1 percent with respect to the RIPTE salary represents the highest percentage in the entire historical series. In addition, it is one point above the average for the 1990s.
Finally, spending on electricity is equivalent to 2 percent of the RIPTE salary and is behind the 2.6 percent of July 1994 and May 2003, and the 2.1 percent registered between 2018 and 2019.
Raw winter and torn pockets
Last month, residential users of the gas service began to receive bills with increases close to 400 percent, as a result of the rate increase, a situation that will worsen when the reduction in subsidies projected for the winter comes to fruition.
In addition, the Government authorized an increase of at least 65 percent in electricity rates for middle and low-income users since June.
