Citizen’s mail

Proposed Electricity tariffs

This refers to the notice published by the Public Utilities Commission in the Daily News November 24, 2010 on the proposed tariffs commencing from January, 2011.

It was proposed in the Budget Speech of a 8 percent increase in tariffs on certain customer categories including householders except for the first 90 units. However, it will be observed from the table shown below that the proposed increase is much more than 8 percent specially in the case of consumers between 90 to 180 units.

Among them there may be middle class householders in urban areas who use utility items such as a refrigerator, fan, an iron and the consumption likely to exceed by some units over 90 which will result in increase bills and which will have a far reaching impact on their cost of living.

In the circumstances I wish to request the President who is also the Minister of Finance, Power and Energy and the Public Utilities Commission to confine the increase at 8 percent as proposed in the Budget.

With the revised tariffs the future of the fuel adjustment charge should also be clarified.

H W Goonesekera

Panadura