Utility fees to be standardized by 2025

Fees for water, electricity, gas and heat supplies should be standardized and regulated in order to promote the sectors’ highquality development, said a guideline published by the General Office of the State Council on Jan 6.

The guideline, jointly issued by the National Development and Reform Commission and other departments, said that public utilities play an important role in guaranteeing the economic operations and social development of cities and towns. They also directly concern public interests and the quality of people’s lives.

However, the guideline noted that in recent years, utility services in some areas are charging for too many items with higher fees, while some enterprises responsible for the supplies of water, electricity, gas and heat are providing poor-quality services with low efficiency.

The regulation and standardization of utility fees will help to improve companies’ efficiency and market competitiveness, create a better business environment, attract social capital to invest in these sectors to reduce costs, and alleviate the social burden, the guideline said.

According to the guideline, any unreasonable fees charged before the supply of water, electricity, gas and heat will be canceled. All fees charged without a legal and valid policy basis will also be canceled.

Other measures to be taken include beefing up efforts to improve the pricing mechanism for utility services, strictly regulating the items that should be charged, providing better services, creating a better development environment and earnestly implementing relevant policies, it said.

The guideline, which takes effect on March 1, aims for a scientific, standardized and transparent pricing mechanism for the supply of water, electricity, gas and heat by 2025.