Deputy PM: electricity price not hike in 2018

Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue requested the Ministry of Industry and Trade to keep electricity retail price unchanged in 2018 according to the government’s direction.

Deputy PM: electricity price not hike in 2018
At a meeting presided by the Deputy PM, he made the request. Additionally, he asked the Vietnam Electricity Group (EVN) to cut production cost.
Deputy PM Hue said during two past months, the price hike of petroleum, pork, food and gas went up along with complicated surge in the world market has put pressure on price control mission.
However, relevant agencies must keep the country’s consumer price index (CPI) average growth in 2018 below 4 percent.
Head of the Pricing Control Department under the Ministry of Finance said that average in first five months, CPI hiked by 3.01 percent compared to the same period last year. It is forecast that from now on, many factors of pricing adjustment of some commodity items namely medical service, education, basic salary, environment protection tariff will place pressure on CPI.
Mr. Hue said Vietnam surely can control CPI under 4 percent in 2018; accordingly, he ordered ministries to keep prices of commodity items stable to beef up reduction of other items such as medicines, medical equipment and charge in toll booths of BOT projects.
The Ministry of Industry and Trade in coordination with the Ministry of Finance to adjust local petroleum price as well as spend petroleum stability fund properly facilitating adjustment in the whole year.
For pork, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development was asked to report the number of pigs increasing pig quality to the price steering board to curb hike in pork price.
Meantime, the Ministry of Health should continue to invite bidding companies as well as issue new circular taking effect on July 15 because reduction of 80 medical service price will make decrease treatment fee helping to make good impact on medical insurance fund and slump CPI.

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