Consumption held back by expensive bills, Italy's black jersey island: with an average of 400 euros a month, Sardinians are the ones who spend the least on the purchase of products to bring to the table .
This is what we read in a report by Confesercenti, according to which the recovery in consumption could take place "only with the drop in the price of bills", which could free up "up to 30 billion euros at a national level, making them available for household spending » .
The average monthly family expenditure in Sardinia for 2023 is 2,044 euros, lower than the pre-pandemic value (in 2019 it was 2,158) . But much of this expense is absorbed by utility bills. Again, this year it should grow by only 0.8%, just 16.4 euros per month, the lowest increase in the three-year period 2021-2023 which effectively interrupts the post-pandemic recovery.
«If electricity and gas tariffs were to be reduced by 40% in 2023, as hypothesized by the Minister of Economy and Finance Giancarlo Giorgetti, the total expenditure incurred by families for domestic users would go from almost 76 to just over 45 billion euros, falling from 2,950 euros to 1,780 euros per year per family - explains Gian Battista Piana, director of Confesercenti Sardinia -. The resources freed in this way could therefore allow an acceleration in household consumption, which unfortunately will still remain at a standstill in 2023 ».
Dear energy therefore in the crosshairs because it has stopped the restart of consumption after the pandemic. «A large part of the family budget has been absorbed by bills - Roberto Bolognese, president of Confesercenti Sardinia, points out - and for the rest, such as food and drink, clothing and shoes, culture, entertainment and tourism, there is very little left. The scenario is very difficult, interventions are essential to help recover lost purchasing power , perhaps by detassing wage increases that would help companies proceed with the renewal of national contracts, giving a boost to wages reduced by energy inflation".
(Unioneonline/L)
