07/01/2021 4:17 AM
Clarín.com
Economy
Updated 07/01/2021 7:31 AM
The Government ruled that gas service companies must offer users a payment facility plan of up to
30 installments
to pay off debts incurred during the economic and health emergency period generated by the coronavirus.
Through
Resolution 383/2021
of the Ministry of Economy, published this Thursday in the Official Gazette, signed by Minister Martín Guzmán, the Executive also
limited the interest rate
that lenders can charge users in default.
"It is established that the companies that provide the public service of distribution of gas through networks must grant residential and non-residential users and users, plans of payment facilities of up to 30 equal, monthly and consecutive installments, to cancel the debts that may have generated "during the economic emergency, reads the first article of the regulations.
The measure refers to the Government's decision to declare a public emergency in economic, financial, fiscal, administrative, pension, tariff, energy, health and social matters, based on the Law of Social Solidarity and Productive Reactivation, sanctioned in December of 2019. Emergency that was extended in March of last year when the health crisis was unleashed by Covid-19.
Precisely from that resolution, it was established that the public services companies "
could not order the suspension or the cut off
of the respective services", in case of delay or non-payment of up to three consecutive or alternate invoices and whose expiration dates would have operated at effective March 1, 2020. The decision was later extended to six invoices and later to seven.
Likewise, the Government confirmed that during the period there was evidence of
a high degree of delinquency
in the payments of the billing issued by the companies providing the public service of gas distribution through networks.
For this reason, in view of the repeated claims of the users presented to Enargas, it was resolved that the providers must grant a plan for payment facilities for the invoices in arrears.
It also establishes that the interest rate to be applied in facility plans for residential users "
may not exceed
50% of the annual nominal passive rate for traditional 30-day fixed-term deposit operations of Banco Nación on the last day of the month. prior to the granting of the payment plan.
It even warns companies that "interest cannot be capitalized."
In the case of non-residential clients, the interest may not exceed 50% of the 30-day nominal annual active rate of the general portfolio of Banco Nación on the last day of the month prior to the granting of the payment plan.
"The lack of payment or delay of 3 consecutive or 6 alternate installments,
by the users who have adhered to a facility plan in the terms provided in this resolution, will
enable the providers to cut off the supply
due to non-payment of invoices for service to said users ", specified the decree.
In addition, the possibility is left open that the providers may "extend the conditions of the facility plans, to debts acquired outside the term of Decree No. 311/2020", which prevented the cut off of supply until December 31, last year.
GRB
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