The chairman of the Social Development Commission, Boris Barrera; the chair of the Mining and Energy Commission, Daniella Cicardini; the chairman of the Economics Commission, Pedro Velasquez; and the chairman of the Family Commission, Luis Rocafull, sent a letter to Energy Minister Juan Carlos Jobet to terminate the application of the so-called “winter tariff” in the electricity bills.
It should be recalled that while this surcharge had been suspended, it came into force from 1 June, precisely in the period where electricity consumption increases and at the same time that the effects of confinement become stronger on the family economy.
The missive details that “the pandemic in the country has led to a major economic-social crisis that has led large sections of the population to extreme poverty and cessation; has exacerbated the informality of work and forced thousands of workers to suspend their duties”, a situation that added to the health measures “involves a massive number of families permanently in their homes, which will necessarily imply an increase in electricity consumption”.
A study by the University of Talca estimates that electricity and gas bills can rise 17% in quarantined households. This would result in an increase (average) of $10,000 in spending on these basic services. This would occur due to the permanent presence of people in households on the occasion of the pandemic.
“That is why we request to extend the suspension of the application of the winter limit to electricity tariffs for the months of June, July, August and September, in order to avoid the consequent increase in electricity accounts resulting from the application of that limit, so as not to harm the most vulnerable sectors of this country at the most critical time of the pandemic” , details the missive.
It should be noted that last week in the Committee on the Economy a trade was passed, precisely to stop the implementation of the “winter limit”, which adds to draft agreements and resolutions entered into the Chamber of Deputies that reinforce this call made by the chairs of the parliamentary committees.
