Translated material
Cup of unpopularity
The Zubkov government approved an action plan before the emergence of the Putin government
The government will have to complete its first three-year plan next year. To do this, it is necessary to fulfill not only the 2008 action plan, but also everything, everything, everything that was not accomplished in the previous two years. That is: fight inflation , halve poverty and (or) double GDP, make the ruble convertible and other tasks prescribed to the Cabinet of Ministers by presidential messages. At the same time, we must remember that in May, if Putin’s plan does not change and the presidential elections on March 2 do not bring surprises to the authorities, Russia should have a new government headed by the current president of the country .Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov at yesterday's cabinet meeting, trying on the government plan, “christened” 2008 the year of energy saving and innovation. Knowing that 2007 has prepared for Russians in addition to unexpectedly high inflation of 12%, which immediately after the New Year will turn into a significant increase in tariffs for the services of natural monopolies, the head of the cabinet called on everyone to be less wasteful. He literally asked the economy, as in Brezhnev’s times, to be economical. “If we use energy resources as wastefully as we do today, the introduction of new tariffs starting in the new year will hit the population, primarily the poor,” said the head of the cabinet.
According to the prime minister’s estimates, “now the energy intensity of Russian GDP is twice the world average, a third of fuel and energy resources are lost or spent inefficiently.” The first place among the most energy-intensive industries is occupied by construction and heavy industry - one third of inefficiently used resources, a quarter in housing and communal services and 10% in agriculture and transport. Mr. Zubkov believes that we have a huge potential for savings - 45% of total energy consumption. “We are indecently wasteful,” he repeated. And he once again reminded that saving “will have to be done in very difficult conditions,” when “tariffs for services in the most important sectors of the economy will change in the direction of a significant increase. First of all, in energy supply.”
The prime minister emphasized that the government’s task is “to take measures to ensure that reforms do not hit citizens’ budgets.”
Of course, God is the judge of those macroeconomists who consider increasing tariffs for the services of natural monopolies to be reforms. The main thing is different. For example, in the three-year action plan of the Cabinet of Ministers there was never any room to consider the financial plan and investment program of the tariff policy legislator, our monopolist of monopolists - Gazprom. As a Vremya Novostey correspondent was told on the sidelines of the White House, there won’t be any. True, speaking about “very difficult conditions,” Mr. Zubkov, perhaps for the first time, decided to make semi-political criticism: “The easiest way is to increase prices for public transport or something else. You don't need a lot of brains here! But this will hit low-income groups, pensioners, and students. But think about how to make sure that the increase in tariffs does not hit the population?!” And he answered himself. He called on ministers to work on “a system for increasing the energy efficiency of the economy based on global experience.”
The boss's firm intention to overcome the costs of the economy - rising tariffs, inflation and other troubles - with the help of an “energy saving policy” was especially emphasized by the Minister of Economic Development Elvira Nabiullina. Small-scale energy and alternative fuels should help. “We need a program,” Ms. Nabiullina noted. “And the transition to an innovative development model.” All this, obviously, will be reflected by the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade under her leadership in the concept of socio-economic development of Russia until 2020. A full-fledged project should be ready in January, and the government will consider it in February 2008.
Ms. Nabiullina, at a briefing after yesterday's government meeting, was unable to give exact figures for additional expenditures in the 2008 budget in connection with the implementation of new instructions from the president. However, she made it clear that those who think that a new increase in non-interest expenses is a negative thing are wrong. “We are moving to an innovation model where the main thing is people,” explained the head of the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade. -- By increasing salaries for public sector employees, we are reducing the gap in the economy. And we cover inflation.”
As a high-ranking source in the White House told Vremya Novostey, after raising tariffs on January 1, 2008, “the government will have to completely drink the cup of unpopularity.” Therefore, new indexations of salaries and pensions will not be long in coming.
Maybe that’s why Viktor Zubkov decided to act proactively, anticipating discontent. He disagreed with the government action plan on one point. The Prime Minister ordered the ministers to end the New Year holidays ahead of schedule. As a result, the first cabinet meeting of the new year will take place on January 10, and not on the 17th, as expected.