In 2017, public tariffs started to rise again, reversing the trend that had occurred in the previous two years. With the exception of telephone services (-0,8 per cent), all the other 9 items analyzed by the CGIA Studies Office increased: rail transport by as much as 7,3 per cent, water by 5,3 per cent; postal services by 4,5 percent, electricity by 3,8 percent, gas by 2 percent, tolls by 1 percent, taxis by 0,6 percent, waste by 0,5, 0,2 percent and urban transport by 1,2 percent. Inflation, on the other hand, rose by XNUMX percent.
Increases, however, that have nothing to do with the escalation occurred in the last 10 years: if the cost of living between the 2007 and 2017 has grown by almost 15 percent, the water has scored a + 90 for a hundred, rail tickets a + 46,4 per cent, postal services a + 45,4 per cent, trash and tolls / parking lots of both 40 per cent. In the decade considered only telephone services have suffered a price contraction (-9,9 per cent) (see Table 1).
“The increase in the price of raw materials in the last year, especially oil products - reports the coordinator of the CGIA Studies Office Paolo Zabeo - has rekindled the prices of a good part of the main public tariffs. Nor should it be forgotten that the block on local taxes imposed by the government in recent years has prompted many local authorities to raise money with their multi-utilities, through the upward adjustment of administered tariffs. As the data show, the combined effect of these two operations had a very negative economic impact on the balance sheets of households and businesses ”.
As far as the water tariff is concerned, it is necessary to make a clarification. It is true that the increases that have occurred in Italy in recent years have been very important, but it should be remembered that the average price per cubic meter in Rome, equal to 1,63 dollars, is significantly lower than all the average rates applied in the main capitals European countries (see Tab. 2).
"As announced by the Authority for Electricity and Gas towards the end of 2017 - remembers the Secretary of the CGIA Renato Mason - starting from January 1 of this year, the electricity and gas bills have increased respectively by 5,3, 5 and 59 percent, causing an increase in costs for a typical family of 1 euros per year. It should also be noted that the much-needed liberalization of the captive market for both electricity and gas has been postponed by a year. Initially scheduled for next 2019 July, it will instead start on the same day, but in XNUMX ".
If we compare the weight of our tariffs with that of other European countries, the result that emerges presents lights and shadows. As for the price of electricity for a family with an average annual domestic consumption between 2.500 and 5.000 KWH, for example, our country is in sixth place with a saving compared to the average figure for the Euro Area (19) by 2,5 per cent (see Table 3).
For gas, however, things are less well. The average cost borne by an Italian family with domestic consumption between 20 and 200 GJ (Giga Joule - unit of measurement of energy) is the third among the 19 countries that use the single currency. Compared to the Eurozone average, we pay 8,1 per cent more (see Table 4).
Conversely, getting around by public transport in Italy is convenient, at least in terms of price. In comparison with the main European cities, the cost of a one-way bus, tram and metro ticket for a route of about 10 kilometers (or at least 10 stops) is the lowest ever. The average measured in Milan and Rome is 1,6 dollars. Nothing to do with the price charged, for example, in Stockholm ($ 4,2), in London ($ 4) and in Dublin ($ 3,2) (see Table 5).
Tickets among the least expensive in Europe even when we travel by train. The one-way ticket in the second class for a journey of at least 200 kilometers applied from the stations of Milan and Rome is on average 27,8 dollars. Only the average of Barcelona and Madrid is slightly lower than ours (27,2 dollars), while in London the cost is 74 dollars, the average of Berlin, Frankfurt and Monaco is 58,2 dollars, Paris is 43,8 dollars and Stockholm of 41,8 dollars (see Tab. 6).
