The government’s new decisions on revising the electricity transmission tariff and the cost of freight rail transportation will significantly worsen the situation of Ukrainian industry, which is already operating under unprecedented external pressure. This was stated by the president of the Ukrmetallurgprom association of enterprises, Oleksandr Kalenkov, writes RBC-Ukraine with reference to the UNIAN publication.
According to him, Ukrainian manufacturers are already facing a number of serious challenges, including the operation of the CBAM cross-border carbon adjustment mechanism, restrictive quotas of the European Union, problems with the operation of the maritime export corridor, and high production costs.
“Against this background, the new government has adopted two decisions that only worsen the situation for industry – an increase in the electricity transmission tariff and a simultaneous increase in freight transportation tariffs. For enterprises that are already operating at the limit of profitability, this is a disaster,” Kalenkov noted.
He emphasized that a further increase in production costs could lead to a massive reduction in production and the shutdown of enterprises in the coming months.
“If enterprises start closing, the consequences will be felt by the entire economy. The state will lose tax revenues, which will affect the ability to finance budget expenditures, in particular defense expenditures. In addition, this will mean job cuts, a decrease in foreign exchange earnings from exports, and additional pressure on the hryvnia exchange rate,” the expert explained.
In his opinion, in conditions of war, state policy should be aimed at maintaining the competitiveness of Ukrainian industry, and not at further increasing its costs.
Earlier, the Federation of Employers of Ukraine published the results of a study according to which Ukrainians called industry the basis of a strong and rich country.
Thus, 81% of those surveyed believe that a high standard of living is ensured by developed industry, 84% are convinced that industry will become one of the main drivers of Ukraine’s post-war recovery, and 80% call large industry critically important for the state’s defense capability.
