The government is having difficulty registering subsidies for electricity and gas bills. The will of the Executive Branch is to continue subsidizing those in need: low-income and, to a lesser extent, middle-income families. For this, it is necessary for clients to register in the grant register (RASE). But there are millions of homes that have not: some because they give up the State discount, others because they don’t know that they can lose them if they don’t carry out the respective procedure.
People who are not registered in the grant register are classified as N1, i.e. they are next to the “high income” group. Households that don’t apply for a subsidy in the RASE will pay the cost of electricity as will household groups earning more than $520,000 a month.
Flavia Royón, Secretary of Energy, is concerned about the situation. There are 5.3 million those who declared that they had an income of 520,000 dollars a month or were not registered in the registry office. For the latter, those who have not registered, Energía will launch an advertising campaign, alerts in the App “My Argentina” and other measures to remind them that RASE is open and they must identify with it.
In September, when the segmentation began, the Executive Power thought of setting a deadline for the time within which people could be registered in the registry office. But then he turned around and left it permanently open. Any family that wants to keep the subsidies can try to enter their data in the register of the Ministry of Energy.
In addition to families earning more than $520,000 a month, individuals living in a household where a member wants to continue to have access to the “savings dollar” or dollars obtained in bond purchases and sales are excluded from subsidies. . The ability to obtain US bills excludes them from receiving subsidies on public service rates.
There are 5.3 million families who have not registered, or have done so to declare that they do not need subsidies. In Energy they calculate that this number should go down, at least, in one million cases.
These are middle and low income families who have not been registered in the registry office due to ignorance on the obligation to do so in order to preserve the discounts. Or because they need assistance filling out the form, which is done online. In all cases, the government says it has indications that more than a million homes should continue to receive subsidies. But, not being listed, they would lose the possibility of that government discount.
Starting in February, all N1 households will have a 30% increase in utility bills in Buenos Aires and Suburbs (AMBA). In government they are hoping that some families (those who haven’t signed up) will see that difference and finally register or ask if they can be on the benefit register.
The government halted the segmentation it proposed in September. In that announcement, high-income households (N1) would lose all types of electricity cost subsidies from February. But since those who do not register default to segment N1, more than 5 million families remained in that category.
“We will continue towards the total removal of subsidies to the N1 segments but at a later stage. Probably after the winter. It is when we have already identified the client-households that are N2 (low income) or N3 (middle income) and which have not been registered up to now”; Royón explained clarion.
Among those who have not signed up there are those who no longer want to receive state subsidies (because they want to save in dollars, for example) and those who do not know of the obligation to do so in order to continue paying for electricity at the same price as now.
In addition to benefit registration, all Edenor and Edesur customers will have an increase of $400 per month from April and $800 in June.
Source: Clarin
