Natural monopolies in Russia: problems of state regulation

The almost complete lack of transparency in the pricing of natural monopolies is one of the most important problems in Russia. In this regard, against the background of virtually uncontrolled corruption in the country, the decision to raise tariffs on almost all services provided by monopolists, regardless of world energy prices, causes mistrust and fair criticism. The ineffective management of Gazprom State Corporation, a significant reduction in taxes transferred to the state budget, has not yet been the subject of a thorough audit and critical analysis by the relevant government agencies. The Ministry of Energy is not trying to reform the gas industry, for example, in the image of the Scandinavian countries, where amazing results have been achieved in the work of numerous energy suppliers. The increase in tax revenues to the country’s budget and the improvement of the quality of life of the population depend on the scale of sector reforms that the state will conduct on the basis of a combination of administrative and economic control measures.