The government cleared this Tuesday new increases for services pay television, telephone and internet. It did so through the National Communications Authority (Enacom), which established that dealers can apply to staggered monthly increase of up to 4.5% from May to December of this year, taking as initial reference the values in effect as at 30 April.
This was established after the publication in the Official Gazette of resolution 557/2023, which bears the signature of the president of Enacom Claudio Ambrosini.
“Without neglecting the dialogue with the sector, having acknowledged that the last increase authorized by this ENACOM was of successive and monthly application in the period between January and April 2023; It is advisable to authorize new increases with a similar request from May to December 2023evaluated in the economic context and in the difficulties experienced by all the actors involved, suppliers and public users”, was explained in the introduction to the document.
It was explained, in parallel, that “following this temper, the requirements for new increases are based on the higher costs and the impact of the fluctuations of the main economic variables on the operations of the Concessionaires in the months that have passed since the beginning of the regulation of retail prices”.
“Starting from the first day of each month following May 2023, subsequently and up to and including December 2023, the aforementioned Concessionaires will be able to apply a new monthly surcharge as a percentage of up to 4.5% on the same prices, taking as reference the values updated on the last day of the previous month”, the regulation specified.
At the same time, it was clarified that “any increase in retail prices possibly applied by ICT or DTH (Satellite TV) Service Concessionaires and which exceeds the values expressly authorized (…) must be reimbursed to its users on the next invoice to be issued, with update and interest subject to the same rate of interest that they charge their customers for late payment of invoices”.
“In cases where a user does not pay his invoice with increases higher than those authorized, the suppliers must refrain from calculating the terms of the law in force to proceed with the suspension of the service or apply, with just cause in said invoices, the other provisions in force,” he added.
The last increase announced in this sense was ratified at the beginning of this year. With Resolution 2494/2022, concessionaires were allowed to apply a retail price increase of up to 4% starting from 1 January 2023, using the prices in effect as at 31 December 2022 as a reference.
In the meantime, from February 1st, the providers were entitled to impose a new increase of up to 4% on the same prices, taking the updated values as a reference, while from March 1st there was an increase of up to 3.5%, and on 1 April this increase was repeated.
May, the month of increases and blows to the wallet
Electricity, gas, transport, prepaid cards, private schools, taxis, tolls, credit card refinancing, were some of the ten increases confirmed compared to May they adapted again to already scarce Argentine pockets.
With inflation that was 7.7% in March and reached 7.8% in April, and a dollar that has nearly reached $500 in the last month, the rush has not stopped.
Like every month, some increases had already been planned in advance and linked to the previous month’s inflation data. In this group there were, for example, private, prepaid and transport schools.
For those who have to renew the lease, an increase of almost 100% per year was expected in May. And on the subject of electricity tariffs, this Monday the Enre presented the new tariffs, which derive from the removal of subsidies and will also be in force retroactively, from 1 May.
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Source: Clarin
