The tariffs of "Ukrzaliznytsia" (UZ) require revision; the state company will present its proposal to business associations and other platforms. Discussing potential tariff increases before this is inappropriate, stated Alexander Kamyshin, a member of the supervisory board of UZ and presidential advisor on strategic issues, during the Infrastructure Day organized by the European Business Association in Kyiv on Thursday.
"On the railways, this procedure (for increasing or revising tariffs – IF-U) should occur at least once a year. However, it must be predictable, transparent, and understandable for businesses. "Ukrzaliznytsia" should defend and clarify the reasoning behind this process," said the board member, as reported by an Interfax-Ukraine correspondent.
According to him, the information earlier disclosed by opposition MP Yuriy Goncharenko about a supposed 37% tariff increase to generate an additional 26 billion UAH is inaccurate.
"The financial plan for this year must be approved by the end of the year, as it has been for the last three years. That's the bottom line," emphasized Kamyshin.
Commenting on "Ukrzaliznytsia's" net profit for 2023, which opponents of tariff increases reference, the board member and former head of the company explained it is due to insufficient investment, which is critically necessary.
He also refuted claims of a significant increase in cargo volumes due to the operation of the maritime corridor, which would allow for the avoidance or even reduction of tariffs. According to Kamyshin, the volume of iron ore transport by rail has dropped by 9%.
"You are closing down enterprises and reducing volume. Members of your association. And you are closing enterprises. It is tough for everyone today. But we must understand that if we continue to shut down enterprises and only consider this year's profit without looking at the retrospect of, say, the previous few years, we will not succeed," he told the president of "Ukrmetallurgprom," Alexander Kalenkov.
According to the member of the supervisory board of "Ukrzaliznytsia," restarting the railway after a shutdown is a complex process, as evidenced by the suspension of the city electric train in Kyiv at the beginning of the war.
"Therefore, we need to understand that on the 1009th day of the Great War, our task – all of us together – is to endure. No one today is considering the economy as just an economy," said Kamyshin.