Chungnam Freezes Local Public Utility Fees Including City Gas Charges and Manages Prices

[Asia Economy (Hongseong) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] Chungnam Province has established the principle of freezing local public utility charges and is focusing administrative efforts on stabilizing personal service fees, including the activation of ‘Good Price Businesses.’ The six types of local public utility charges that the province will prioritize managing are city bus and taxi fares, city gas fees, water and sewage fees, and garbage bag fees.

According to the province on the 1st, the province and 15 cities and counties held a ‘Price Countermeasure Meeting’ via non-face-to-face video conference the day before, agreeing to cooperate in stabilizing local public utility charges and personal service fees.

The meeting was organized as a time to review the progress of price stabilization efforts so far, including special measures for the Lunar New Year holiday, real-time price information provision, and support for the activation of Good Price Businesses, as well as to discuss future prospects and plans.

Last month, the regional consumer price index rose by 0.6% compared to the previous month and by 4.0% compared to the same month last year. Furthermore, due to factors such as abnormal climate, avian influenza, and rising international raw material prices, a high inflation trend is expected to continue.

Accordingly, the province and cities/counties plan to focus on major measures for price stabilization this year, such as freezing local public utility charges in the first half of the year and absorbing factors for increases internally, activating Good Price Businesses, and managing personal service fees by inducing reasonable price determination based on specific cost concepts.

They will also cooperate with business and consumer organizations to foster an atmosphere of price stability.

Kim Young-myeong, Director of the Provincial Economic Office, said, “We will communicate and consult with cities, counties, and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety to stabilize local public utility charges, continuously monitor domestic and international economic conditions, and prepare and implement related measures to ensure price stability.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.