<DIV>Local telephone calls free. Up to 30% of Moscovites use public transportation for free, poor health care basically free, cheap food still available etc....I paid 50 rubles ($1.50) for utilities last month. Many people own their apartments (or communal apartments) in Moscow, but pay a "estate fee" - a meaningly cost. </DIV> <DIV>A hybrid economy.  Russia's "middle class" is out there somewhere, but what helps it to be defined as such is off the backs of (almost) free state services. Russia's "middle class" is almost exclusively in the service sector as well. Chris Doss <itschris13@hotmail.com> wrote:</DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE class=replbq style="BORDER-LEFT: #1010ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px"> >From: Doug Henwood <DHENWOOD@PANIX.COM> > >...and many things now require cash that used to come for free or >near-free, no? How much growth is the result of paying for things that used >to be state perks? Are rents and utilities still nominally priced, or are >they heading towards market levels? > >Doug Utilities are still practically free. People who do not own their own apartments pay a price determined by the market. _________________________________________________________________ MSN 8: Get 6 months for $9.95/month. http://join.msn.com/?page=dept/dialup ___________________________________ http://mailman.lbo-talk.org/mailman/listinfo/lbo-talk</BLOCKQUOTE><hr SIZE=1> Do you Yahoo!? <a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/evt=10469/*http://sitebuilder.yahoo.com">Yahoo! SiteBuilder</a> - Free, easy-to-use web site design software