Electricity hike is a whopping 44 percent
THE EDITOR: In spite of the deliberately misleading PR campaign being conducted by the RIC on the proposed electricity hike, this increase will be a whopping 44 percent and will have an adverse domino effect on the cost of living. My current VAT inclusive bill is $340.66 for consuming 1309 Units (Kwh). In accordance with RIC’s new Kwh charge (Newsday Jan 30, p 27), for the first 400 units (at 29 cts) I will pay $116.00 (100 percent increase), the next 600 Kwh (at 32 cts) will cost me at $192.00 ($100 increase) and the final 309 Kwh (at 35 cts) will cost me $108.16 (increase of $53.00). When you add a fixed charge of $9.00, an illegal $1.00 disaster charge and VAT charge ($64.00) my new electricity bill effective March 1 will be increased by $150.00 to $490.00. That amounts to a 44 percent increase in my household expenditure for electricity. I am on a fixed Government pension with no increase in sight. That is how the poor will be pauperised further, PNM-style and exacerbate the ballooning poverty trap in the midst of plenty and prosperity for the chosen few. Government must zero rate electricity, subsidise gas to Powergen equal to Atlantic LNG, Ispat etc and de-monopolise top-heavy and inefficient TTEC as the sole electricity provider similar to TSTT. STEPHEN KANGAL Caroni
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"Electricity hike is a whopping 44 percent"