Skyrocketing fuel prices in recent months have ended up squeezing the resources left in most homes. It is difficult to imagine the future in the face of a scenario that continues to widen social inequalities. First the pandemic, then the war economy raised the walls and fueled the river of discomfort. The Calabrian Food Bank itself recently raised an alarm, reporting an increase in difficulties among Calabrians. After all, what is happening on the roads of the region in these hours is only the consequence of the devastating effects that the flood has had on the budgets of families and businesses. And today we are forced to choose between filling up the car and everything else.
The surge in the cost of petrol and diesel, driven by geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, has had the effect of a social tsunami. And it’s not just a question of markets or statistics, it’s an everyday life that is changing colour. Nowadays, even going to work costs much more than it did a year ago. And it is not a sensation but a data that emerges from the Istat surveys of September, reworked by the National Consumers Union.
The consumer price index in the region marks an increase of 4.9% on an annual basis, the highest in Italy (the national average stops at 4.2%). But it is in private mobility that the gap becomes even more evident. The item relating to the use of personal means of transport grew by 17%, compared to the national 14.4%. In Reggio Calabria the increase even reaches 18.3%; in Cosenza at 16.9%. Catanzaro stops at 15.3%.
An increase that weighs
An increase that here weighs much more than elsewhere because in Calabria the car is used not only to reach the workplace but also to accompany children to school or to reach a health center. In short, the car is a necessity even before a choice. It is mainly for those who live in internal centres, far from the most efficient services and transport networks. For the over 800 thousand Calabrians who live far from the coasts it is impossible to give up private transport without a certain public alternative. And so, the increase in fuel prices translates into an additional cost for families.
Just yesterday, the CGIA published the ranking of incomes declared in the provincial capitals and the five Calabrian sisters are all in the rear. The best is Catanzaro, in 86th place with a total annual income of 20,067 euros. The others follow: in Reggio you live on 19,512 euros gross per year; in Cosenza with 18,530; in Vibo with 18,213; and, finally, in Crotone with 18,016.
The general picture confirms the pressure on consumption. The increases, however, are not distributed evenly. For housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels, regional growth is 11.8%; for transport it reaches 10.9%, compared to the Italian 8.5%. Restaurants and accommodation also recorded an increase of 3.5%, higher than the national figure of 3.2%.
Not all rumors, however, run the same way. Food products and non-alcoholic drinks increased in Calabria by 1.8%, slightly less than the national 1.9%. But this is not enough to offset the pressure of energy costs and travel, especially for those with modest incomes and cannot reduce the kilometers travelled.
The data on the use of private vehicles does not coincide with the increase in the price of petrol and diesel alone: it includes a broader category of car-related expenses. However, it is a clear indicator of the growing cost of mobility which in Calabria is an additional tax in addition to those already foreseen throughout Italy. Massimiliano Dona, national leader of the Consumers Union, says he is worried about the record inflation despite the additional spending being lower than that of other regions. «A figure that should not be misleading because the additional expenditure in euros also depends on consumption levels which here are held back by a purchasing power that is less competitive compared to other richer territories».