Ukrainian Institute for the Future -

In August, the arrears in the payment for utility services decreased by 0.8% – up to 38.4 billion UAH. Ukrainians have biggest arrears for natural gas and heating.

“Over the past year, the income of the population increased by 28%. Inflation was 13%. It is predicted that the price for gas will rise by almost 25%. However, the payments for heating take up to 20 percent of household income on average. Thus, the level of income of the population covers the costs associated with the rise in gas prices. Therefore, there are no formal economic grounds for the growth of debt” Anatoly Amelin, head of economic programmes of the Ukrainian Institute for the Future, told to Gazeta.ua.

There is a lack of discipline in making payments in Ukraine. In addition, people are not actively doing winterization of their dwellings.