4-month gas discount from last December
KOGAS bears 300 billion won
Confederation of Trade Unions “Oppose public utility rate hike” At the KCTU resolution meeting held on the 1st near Sungnyemun Gate in Seoul, participants are chanting slogans criticizing the increase in utility rates such as heating, electricity and transportation. Reporter Seong Dong-hoon
592,000 won of ‘heating expenses’ will be provided to basic livelihood security recipients and the next-income class. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced on the 1st that it would support 592,000 won to basic livelihood security recipients and the next-income class through additional support for heating costs to protect the vulnerable in winter.
This support is provided through gas fee discounts for four months from December of last year to March of this year.
Additional support for heating costs was raised because many of the total basic livelihood security recipients (recipients of livelihood, medical, housing, and education benefits) did not receive energy vouchers, and it was pointed out that the heating cost support for the next upper class, which can be called the ‘potential poor’, was insufficient. Because.
As of last year, there were 1,699,000 households receiving basic livelihood benefits and 319,000 households in the second-upper class. Considering that 83.6% of the total 2,018,000 households use city gas, it is estimated that up to 1,687,000 households will benefit from discounts on heating costs.
Looking at the specific amount of subsidy, the next-lowest class who do not receive energy vouchers will receive an additional discount of 448,000 won from the existing gas rate discount (144,000 won).
Recipients of basic livelihood and medical benefits who do not receive an energy voucher will receive an additional 304,000 won in addition to the existing gas rate discount (288,000 won). For housing benefit recipients, 448,000 won is added to the existing 144,000 won, and education benefit recipients receive an additional discount of 520,000 won from the existing 72,000 won.
Local governments across the country and the Korea Energy Agency provide text messages, mails, and phone calls to those who have not applied for energy vouchers or gas rates in order to resolve cases in which those eligible for energy vouchers and gas rate discounts cannot apply because they do not know whether or not they are eligible or do not know the procedures and methods. decided to encourage the application. The discount on gas rates this time will be borne by Korea Gas Corporation, rather than directly executed by the government investing its finances. The government estimates that the additional support will cost about 300 billion won. As a result, the burden on KOGAS, which has recently suffered a deficit of 9 trillion won in receivables alone, is expected to increase.