20 bills a month and 30% commission: Popenko explained how Ukrainians are forced to overpay for utilities.

Ukrainians overpay for utilities due to separate bills

The head of the Union of Consumers of Communal Services of Ukraine, Oleg Popenko, explained that Ukrainians overpay for utilities due to separate bills. He clarified that citizens receive numerous separate invoices for each service in Ukraine, while in Europe there is a single bill and payment every two months, which allows saving on bank commissions.

Popenko noted that the system of separate bills leads to unnecessary expenses for the population due to bank commissions for each transaction. He also emphasized that the reform of the gas market in Ukraine did not take into account the interests of consumers, which resulted in the increase of utility costs.

'We receive about 20 of such bills every month. We pay for gas supply, for gas distribution or transportation, and now there is a third bill for the maintenance of gas networks. As a result, our utility costs have doubled at least in the last few years,'

European experience in paying for utilities

Popenko compared the ways of paying for utility services in Ukraine and Europe. He noted that in European Union countries, citizens receive a single bill, which simplifies payment and helps reduce bank commissions.

'In the European Union, people pay for utilities every two months to ease the financial burden on the average European by reducing the number of banking transactions. While we, with our 20 bills, have to pay a bank commission'

These facts confirm the need for reforming the system of receiving and paying for utility services in Ukraine to simplify payments and reduce the financial burden on the population.