Last day to register for subsidies: the Government is studying an extension

More than 5 million completed families the form to keep the contributions in the electricity and gas bill. Tuesday is the last day to complete it. It is estimated that, from Wednesday, the Government will allow additional days for those who have not been able to complete it.

There is a feature that has been repeated in every round of data reported by the Government. Fewer and fewer people who know they face a higher amount for their electricity and gas bills are signing up. That is, the families referred to income exceeds $ 348,000 per monthyou have three properties or three cars hardly fill out the form.

In the first round that could be scored (with the DNI ending in 0.1 and 2), only 3% reported high income, or a financial situation that justifies the elimination of grants. In the later stages, the percentage of those with high income who filled out the form remained at similar levels.

Among customers with documents ending in 3, 4 and 5, there are nearly two million households. Just 75,000 (nearly 4%) said they have “high incomes”, meaning they will gradually lose their benefits. At the next shift (DNI completed from 6 to 9), those registered on Monday morning were another two million, with less than 60 thousand (another 3%) who admitted they had a pocket to meet another cost of electricity and gas .

In the government they estimate that some users that they will have to face the increase they are not signing up.

80% of the cost of electricity and gas it is subsidized by the national government. The Secretary of Energy, Darío Martínez, has promised a new tariff for 1 August. From that date, it should be defined how much customers who lose benefits will pay.

The government assumes 920,000 electric and 760,000 gas customers they are able to cope with the “full costs” of electricity and gas. More than 80% of the ballots are subsidized by the state. Energy subsidies were $ 11,000 million in 2021 and approximately $ 15,000 million is expected this year.

Registration in the grant register is done according to the latest number of the DNI.

Although the government is satisfied with the enrollment levels, the goal of reaching 8 or 9 million families still seems complicated. For this they are studying an extension that could last until the end of the month.

So far, most of those who have registered fall into the “middle income” category. They will keep the subsidies this year. In 2023, this decision can be reviewed.

The Secretary of Energy asks all families to register, at risk of running out of subsidy. However, customers who receive a minimum pension, or who have some sort of welfare or social assistance, will keep the current rates. The government is not explicit in this regard, but the official offices issue the order to be “very careful” to vulnerable sectors.

So far this year, the electricity and gas tariffs increased by 42% for most customers. For the lowest-income sectors, it was half (21%). An increase is now proposed for the upper sectors, which could be around 300%.

The Executive does not want to give percentage figures for the increase, for fear that we will start talking about “price increases”. All he said is that an average electricity bill will increase by $ 1,200 per month.

Of total base basket increase (to $ 104,217), the minimum to maintain electricity and gas subsidies will increase in August. This means that households with net income (out of their own pockets) earning $ 364,759 will be able to ask the Secretary of Energy to withhold subsidies on their utility bills.

During this July, the “minimum plan” for maintaining benefits is for families with a net income (in hand, out of their own pockets) of $ 348,000. If the government extension extends only to the end of the month, the change in the base basket will have no impact. On the other hand, if they extend the deadline for registering benefits until August, families would benefit from having a larger amount to maintain benefits, with net income of up to $ 365,000.

The companies (Metrogas, Naturgy, Edenor, Edesur in Buenos Aires) will notify customers that they will have increases, because the nation state will remove the subsidies. But the price will be decided by the Ministry of Energy. This dependency must communicate to the regulatory bodies (Enargas in gas, Enre for Edenor and Edesur, plus the provincial bodies in each of its districts) the new tariff tables to be applied.

To be entered in the grant register, people they must have electricity and gas bills (with your customer number and counter), in addition to the CUIL of the applicant for the contribution and also of the members of your household.

The registry allows you to keep the contributions in your electricity and gas bills until the end of the year.