Phasing-Out Consumer Subsidies. Prospects and Challenges for Ukraine’s Natural Gas and Electricity Sector

Summary:

Fossil fuel subsidies have been a popular measure for governments all around the globe. However, subsidies can have a range of adverse effects on the economy, which is why large international organisations, like the World Bank, the OECD as well as the IMF, advice to phase-out these subsidies.

By promoting wasteful consumption and discouraging the implementation of low-emission production technologies, energy subsidies can lead to an increase in Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. Further, the IEA (2019) demonstrated that they rather benefit wealthy recipients and that only a small portion arrives at low-income households, thus they can even promote income inequalities. Further, subsidies can pose a substantial burden to government budgets – and consequently taxpayers.

This paper focusses on consumer subsidies in the natural gas and electricity sector. Producer subsidies in the coal sector are covered in a separate proposal and are proposed to be phased-out in accordance with the coal transition.

Author(s):
Julia Breuing
Keyword(s):

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