MPs yesterday warned that Bahraini families living under one roof but struggling with separate household expenses are being unfairly squeezed by electricity bills, as calls grew for a parliamentary investigation into rising utility costs.
MP Hassan Ibrahim demanded the formation of a parliamentary investigation committee to examine electricity tariff calculations, consumption brackets and the adequacy of government subsidies, warning that families sharing a single meter were particularly vulnerable to higher bills.
The debate took place during yesterday’s parliamentary session as MPs discussed 50 government replies to parliamentary proposals.
Mr Ibrahim backed a proposal to allow subsidised electricity consumption allowances for homes accommodating several families to be multiplied, up to a maximum of three allowances, provided the families were related to the account holder within the first degree of kinship.
The proposed measure would cover the peak summer months from May to September, when air conditioning drives up electricity consumption.
He said the government had indicated that the proposal could not be implemented in its current form, although it acknowledged that several families living in one property could benefit from subsidies.
Mr Ibrahim urged the proposed investigation to obtain detailed figures on high bills, the number of subscribers moving into higher consumption brackets and the impact on low-income citizens.
He also cautioned against shifting the burden to businesses through higher electricity costs, warning that this could feed into rents, and the prices of goods and services.
However, MPs questioned how that would work for married sons living with their parents while waiting for housing, divorced mothers raising children, widows and other households without separate addresses or electricity accounts.
“If several families live under one roof, each with its own needs and consumption, while the electricity account is registered under one person’s name, how can they benefit from subsidies fairly?” Mr Ibrahim asked.
He warned that many households had been shocked by recent bills as consumption crossed into the more expensive third tariff bracket, insisting that higher usage in extended families did not necessarily mean waste.
Parliament Speaker Ahmed Al Musallam stressed the need to define a ‘compound family’, citing the cases of married sons with children who remain in their parents’ home while awaiting housing.
MP Bader Al Tamimi said the system should recognise different family circumstances, including whether a person was married, divorced and had custody of children, or widowed.
“People do not choose whom to marry or love; it is fate that brings people together in the case of Bahraini women married to expat men,” he said, stressing that family arrangements should not leave citizens disadvantaged when utility subsidies are calculated.
MP Mohammed Al Bulooshi also highlighted cases involving foreign mothers who have Bahraini children and custody of them, questioning whether the system adequately accounts for their circumstances.
MP Bassema Mubarak drew attention to the difficulties faced by heirs dealing with fees associated with inherited properties, adding another dimension to the challenges surrounding household accounts.
MP Hamad Al Doy gave a personal example of the financial strain, saying he lived in his parents’ home and paid around BD400 a month in utility bills because five families shared the property.
“The system should treat us separately within one household,” he said, calling for arrangements that recognise distinct families even when they share one address and meter.
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