Bills, Codacons studies mega-appeal for millions of Italians

In the last 9 months, gas tariffs have undergone an overall increase of + 84.4%, while electricity has grown by + 86.9%. This means that every single family finds itself spending +1,119 euros on energy bills, not counting the possible future increases that Arera could have in the course of 2022. All this, despite the government having fielded a total of almost 8 billion euros to counter the high bills (1.2 billion in June, over 3 billion in September, and 3.8 billion in the last Maneuver), money that was not enough to avoid the blow to the pockets of consumers. And precisely against the latest rate increases decided by Arera, Codacons is preparing a mega-appeal to which millions of Italians can join: a still top secret legal initiative that will be revealed in detail in the coming days. “The increase in bills is a massacre for families and businesses – the president of the consumer association Carlo Rienzi told Adnkronos – This is because the increases in energy not only aggravate the cost of essential goods such as electricity and gas, but determined cascading increases in all sectors that reduce the purchasing power of citizens and sink consumption “. But the repercussions of the cost of energy are not felt only on bills: the increases in tariffs lead to increases in retail prices which ( latest Istat inflation data) grew by + 3.9% in December. According to Codacons estimates, the increases in electricity and gas bills will keep inflation around + 3% in the course of 2022, causing a sting for Italians equal to an average of +1,197 euros per year per family per year on the expenditure of all days. “What the government has done is not enough and further measures are needed to combat speculation and save the pockets of families”, adds Rienzi, who promises battle.