Large and medium-sized cities held water price increase hearing experts said 30% reasonable

Large and medium-sized cities have held an increase in water price hearings in Beijing July 19 News According to the Chinese voice, "news," 7:35 reported that water is the daily necessities of life, people are accustomed to turning on the tap can be used to water, but also used to pay the bill regularly. However, if water prices rise, many people may feel unaccustomed. Starting from the end of last year, as if command, almost all Chinese cities have joined the chorus of rising water prices. Especially in the last two months, including Shanghai, Tianjin, Shenyang, Guangzhou, Nanjing and other large and medium-sized cities have held a water price hike hearings.　　Other cities are in the process of preparation. Water price is a lever to promote water saving most cities in China are short of water, this is our basic national conditions, therefore, water conservation is a fundamental state policy. And many industry experts believe that the existing water price is low, does not reflect the value of water as a scarce resource. Therefore, to improve water prices to promote water-saving is also an almost inevitable choice.　　Mr Shen Minggao, chief economist at Caijing Magazine, thinks water prices are a lever to push water. Shen Gaoming: I think raising water price has a great effect on saving water. From the point of view of resources, the scarcity that represents it is the price level, when the price of this resource is high to a certain level, other slack resources may produce, some new technology may use. Now the national heavy water recycling is still relatively low, the main reason is that the water price is low, if the water price is high to a certain level, people first in some is not very necessary to find some places of water resources, such as watering the words can use heavy water, washing car can heavy water, so waste will also be reduced.　　So I think price is a key factor. Before the price increase clear the mechanism of water conservancy experts have repeatedly said that to rationalize the price formation mechanism of water resources. March 9 This year, vice Minister of water resources, Hu Shiyi, said that, for a long time, the unreasonable price and the low price of water, did not reflect the scarcity of water resources and water environment management costs, leading to the current water waste is quite serious, water pollution is not effective governance.　　That being the case, Mr Shen Minggao, the price mechanism should be clearly defined before prices rise. Shen Minggao: The first question to answer is how much of our water price is below the market price? In this respect, I think the water department and government departments should give a clear concept of cost, including the current pollution of water resources, the lack of water resources, bring some costs rise.　　From the point of view of pricing has its own mechanism, or to increase its transparency, especially the transparency of costs, so that people are also more accepting prices. In promoting the rise in water prices, the impact of foreign investment into the water supply market can not be ignored. For example, the French Suez Group has 22 joint ventures across China, with a population of 14 million. And the 153-year water industry professional operating history of Veolia Company in China also set off a takeover frenzy. So far, Veolia has won Tianjin, Shanghai, Beijing, Chengdu, Kunming, Lanzhou and other nearly 1921 joint ventures in the city, with a population of 30 million.　　The operating period of these foreign water companies is generally about 30 years, also has 50 years, and its share of shares are close to or equal to the absolute holding of 50%. "Huaxia Times" Editor-in-Chief Shupi: up to 30% more reasonable since the price has become a trend, then we first look at the current water price is how much. The current national average water price is 1.4 yuan/cubic meters, sewage treatment fee is 0.4~0.5 yuan/cubic meters, the provincial capital of the city average water supply is 2.4 yuan/cubic meters, sewage treatment fee is 0.6 yuan/cubic meters. And Beijing's current water price is 2.9 yuan/cubic meters, sewage treatment fee is 0.8 yuan/cubic meters, total 3.7 yuan/cubic meters.　　According to the existing standards, "Huaxia times," The editor-in-chief of Mr. Shupi that the rise of about 30% more reasonable. Water skin: The rise in water prices will certainly help to train everyone's water-saving consciousness, especially in the summer, the summer, we use more water, the large amount of the process, this kind of water-saving consciousness is relatively weak. If we can remind everyone that there is a constraint by means of the economy, one is the seasonal difference, and the other is a further improvement in price, I think it is helpful.　　But the price of water can not be too big, after all, people can not live without things, I think there may be 30% to 35% of the increase is relatively good, also can not let everyone feel indifferent, also can not let everyone bear, affect the quality of life. Although the price of water in some places is affected by foreign companies in the government's pricing, it does not change the nature of water as a public goods and the Government's responsibility to provide basic public services. Even if the water resources situation is quite tense, the water price rises inevitably, the government must take into account the needs of all strata when the price rises. On this subject, let's connect with the city management experts, Renmin University of China, associate professor of public administration Yang Hongshan: Suggestions for reference to foreign "regional comparative advantage Competition" mechanism moderator: now some places put forward the reason for the rise in water prices is the water supply business difficulties, do you think this is a suitable reason?　　How will foreign investment into the water supply industry affect the future pricing of the Government? Yang Hongshan: I think for enterprises, not because of their own one encounter financial difficulties, the first reflection on the demand for price increases, to transfer costs.　　I would like to start from a few aspects of this problem, one aspect of enterprise as a business entity, it is really to strengthen the cost control, to explore their inherent potential, not all of their own business problems are transferred to consumers.　　Yang Hongshan: Second, to the government departments, in fact, in the area of municipal utilities such as tap water to balance the interests of all, we know that the use of tap water involved in all aspects, involving the general public at the same time also involved in many industries in the city. Yang Hongshan: Third, for the government, the need to improve the price control method, can not simply use the "Cost plus small profit" approach we used to speak of, because this method of management will certainly have problems, why? Because the water industry belongs toNatural monopoly industry, natural monopoly industry there is a problem of asymmetric information, corporate ideas to try to conceal their true costs, if you let the company report their real costs, he always make a false report even higher. There is a foreign water control mode, called "Interregional comparative Advantage Competition", just now the host introduced the national average price of tap water is 1 4, the provincial capital is 2 yuan, Beijing is 2 9, but also to the different prices for sewage treatment fees, around such a mechanism can better make a fuss,　　In a large area where the cost of water supply is similar, the Government may wish to find out what the average price of water supply in different cities is, as an important mechanism for restricting water companies, which is called interregional comparative advantage competition. The entry of foreign capital is beneficial to the perfection of management mechanism Yang Hongshan: At the same time, it is suggested that foreign capital entering into our public utilities field is not necessarily the important mechanism to promote the price of tap water. We say that the government should balance the interests of the parties if the water company used to be a state-owned enterprise, when it encountered business difficulties, the government balance the interests of the majority, while the visible invisible some of the partiality, and for foreign-funded enterprises, we know that it is run as enterprise, such a way of operation into the municipal administration Department,　　provided a better mechanism for the government to balance the interests of many Parties. There is a need to weigh the interests of different classes: there is a view that rising prices have a big impact on the rich because they use more water, and there is a point of view that they have a big impact on working-class people because they can cut down on their consumption. What is your opinion?　　What do you think should be done to balance the interests of all sectors in the specific pricing plan? Yang Hongshan: I think that's true, the problem of water is a rigid demand, even for the underprivileged stratum said that daily basic consumption of water is also necessary to spend, in this sense, just we have experts also said that the cost of water-saving is to protect the important mechanism to improve water conservation, this view is correct, But in this process, we need to balance the two, one is efficiency, the second is fair. Although it is said that in order to save water use needs to improve the price of the waters, but in raising water prices must take into account the social justice, the poor class of water is also a rigid demand, if the water price to upgrade, then this rigid spending must improve. For low-income people, the rise in water prices has a great impact on his life, for the rich, the price of tap water is very low in his disposable income, so even if the price of water is raised, it is hard to say how much it will change his sense of water conservation, so we need to weigh the issue.