Electricity Minister Mohamed Shaker said Thursday that there is a significant difference in the rates of bills collected from residential houses and units compared to government bodies.
The official reports showed that the majority of people are committed to paying their bills, while the majority of government agencies were not so dedicated.
The official report, which was distributed to journalists after the conference at which the new electricity prices were announced, said that the rates of collection of electricity bills for houses and shops amounted to 94.4 percent and in government agencies 24.3 percent.
The report also showed a strong commitment from the private sector and the investment sector to pay for their consumption, reaching 92.5 percent and 94.8 percent, respectively.
A source from the Electricity Ministry slammed the attitude of government agencies, pointing out that the delay of paying the old bills lead to a financial crisis within the ministry.
During the conference, Shaker criticized the map of electricity consumption in Egypt, stressing that it is different from all of the developed countries. He said that the energy consumption for household is 47.1 percent and in industrial field only 24.6 percent.
Egypt announced on Thursday a new hike in household electricity prices up to 40 percent this fiscal year. The announced hikes range between 18-42 percent, depending on consumption levels.
