The Beijing Municipal Development and Reform Commission has announced two sets of hearing plans for residents' water price adjustments. This is a new round of price adjustment of resource products that is closely related to the daily lives of residents after power and natural gas. And on the 17th of April, a price ladder hearing will be held. For a time, topics such as the price of water, electrical heating, and other products and services should not increase, when they should rise, and how they should rise. This has become the focus of attention.

When receiving the interview, Niu Li, deputy director of the Economic Forecasting Department of the State Information Center, stated that based on the current relatively modest prices of consumer goods, the pressure of price increases, and the general increase in residents’ overall consumer prices, it is appropriate to introduce more time for price adjustment.

In response to the phenomenon of price adjustments in resource products, Niu Li stated: “Recently introduced price reforms for resource products have focused on ladder-based pricing, that is, on the basis of protecting the most basic use of residents, allowing the use of special parts to bear More, using step-wise price reforms to increase savings and use of resources while improving the efficiency of resource use is also an important direction for future reforms.”

Niu Li stated that taking into account that the current price adjustment is not constrained by most of the "middle and low-end," it is only restricted to a small number of over-use parts, and the resource-based products of price adjustment have a limited share in residential consumption and the price adjustment is limited. The impact on the price index (CPI) is also very limited.

Liang Shuguang, Director of the Economic Research Institute of the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, told reporters that the adjustment of prices for basic social products such as water and electrical heating is based on the market and social status quo. This is on the one hand the inevitable result of the market's role, and on the other hand, it is also to reduce Government financial burden. At the beginning, price adjustment may be faced with an increase in the cost of living and increased pressure on individual families, but this will be an imperative for society as a whole.

Water price increases, water quality should also increase

On January 3, 2014, the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development issued “Guiding Opinions”. Before the end of 2015, all city-based cities should implement the residential ladder water price system in principle.

On April 2, the Beijing Municipal Development and Reform Commission announced two sets of residents' water price adjustment hearings. It is understood that the two sets of plans are based on the principles of the price ladder, each set of three steps, the basic water price increase 0.95 yuan or 1 yuan.

As early as January 28, 2012, the Guangzhou Municipal Price Bureau hangs news on the official website and will hold a hearing on the water price adjustment plan in late February. In February 2012, Changsha began to implement a stepped water price. The household-to-household water price rose by 0.7 yuan per ton, of which 0.3 yuan was the municipal solid waste treatment fee.

Fu Tao, director of the Center for Water Policy Research at Tsinghua University, once pointed out that as the level of raw water pollution continues to increase, the water supply enterprises are lagging behind in the process of water quality standards and equipment, the current water price income can no longer meet the needs of enterprises to update the pipe network, improve technology, improve services. The level of demand, water price reform is imperative.

It is understood that the water supply security in Beijing and even in the country presents a trend of diversification of water sources and the complexity of water quality, which increases the cost of water supply, and there is a widespread loss of running water plants throughout the country. According to industry sources, the long-term low price of water does not reflect the tense situation of water resources, and it cannot support the development of enterprises such as tap water and drainage and equipment upgrades.

Mr. Zhang, a citizen, said that it is understandable to raise the price of water, but the increased income should be taken from civilian use to the people, and the construction of pipeline networks should be improved so that residents can drink more sanitation.

Gas price ladder "80% of residents need not spend more"

In March 2014, the National Development and Reform Commission printed and issued the "Guidance Opinions on Establishing and Improving the Tax System for Living Gas Use in Residents' Livelihoods" to deploy and establish a sound ladder system for residents' living. Opinions require that before the end of 2015 all ventilated cities in China should establish a ladder system for the use of gas for residents.

It is understood that the prices of domestic on-street natural gas and imported pipeline natural gas for residents will continue to be stable at the government-guided price in 2014, and the price of gas for most residents in most cities will remain unchanged, with 80% of households. Will not be affected by the price of ladder. 15% of households will not increase their expenditure on the gas consumption in the first gas range. If they exceed the gas volume of the first gas, the expenditure will increase. However, due to the small gap between the gas prices of the first and second gas ranges, the The family has limited influence. The remaining 5% of households will spend relatively more due to the large amount of gas used.

The National Development and Reform Commission stated that the implementation of residents' ladder price policies will not increase the burden on residents' lives. "Employing the ladder price, 80% of residents do not have to spend more."

Ladder prices may wish to “rob the rich and help the poor”

According to the requirements of the National Development and Reform Commission, the implementation of the ladder-level electricity pricing plan was launched in all parts of the country in mid-June 2012. It was formally implemented on July 1. The National Development and Reform Commission announced that the nationwide implementation of the ladder electricity prices will begin on July 1, 2012. Since then, Shanghai, Beijing, Chongqing and other cities have successively issued a ladder price plan. The vast majority of provinces raised their first-grade electricity, and the vast majority of areas have a coverage rate exceeding 80%, and even 90% in some areas. The average monthly average for the first gear is 260 degrees, with a low of 150 degrees.

According to the relevant person in charge of the National Development and Reform Commission, the grid company will not increase its revenue in consideration of increasing costs such as electricity meter retrofitting; the Guangdong region will increase revenue, but the western region of Gansu and other regions will suffer losses. "Now we do not increase revenue, but it does not mean that future grid company revenue will not increase, but the NDRC will strengthen supervision over possible future revenue increases."

Some netizens said that the ladder price is aimed at saving awareness, and on the basis of protecting the basic needs of residents, it may be a good idea to "rob the rich and help the poor."

Heating price adjustment

In 2013, Beijing raised the price of non-residential heating and unified the standard of RMB 42 per square meter. It is understood that residents' heating costs will not be raised temporarily, and Beijing has already initiated a study to adjust the reform plan for adjusting heat prices. Adjustments may have been made in 2014.

In recent years, news about the rise in heating costs has been rising and falling. Although the national heating price adjustment program has not yet been introduced, the price adjustment is "ready to go."

Beijing subway prices will be adjusted

Earlier, the Internet had circulated that “Beijing Subway's price adjustment plan has been determined internally, starting at $5 and capping at RMB10”. The relevant staff of the Beijing Municipal Traffic Commission stated that the preliminary investigation of the public transport price adjustment was basically completed, and the pricing department finalized the plan. "Now the official has not yet reached a conclusion, so the Internet is not credible." It is understood that the current "differentiated" fare program is being brewed.