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Increases in Gas Price: Not Acceptable
05 August 2009
GRTU Malta Chamber of SMEs deplores the increases announced in the price of gas cylinders.
The Malta Resources Authority has once again failed to stand up to its important obligation to defend the consumer and all the users of essential services by approving the increases requested by the suppliers of gas. Now with Government's approval the consumer is being burdened with yet another increase which surpasses the last increase announced only a couple of months ago by more than 30%.
Several small and medium enterprises that supply products or services that require the use of gas, of which we have seen the increase as during the last years many have decided to switch from electricity to gas, will be hardly hit and in today's circumstances cannot afford to increase their prices to make up for the increase in the price of gas. This increase will also be effecting consumers who will have to further reduce their spending to make up for the increase: once again an unneeded increase in the worse time possible.
The prise of gas form last April has now increased by more than 90% for the consumer. Once again we are experiencing a privatisation exercise which instead of giving advantage to the consumer and the industrial and commercial user is giving an advantage only to Government.
GRTU believes that Government is falling short from the obligations the European Community has recently passed on to it, amongst which that where anything Government does and implements in no way should create difficulties to small and medium businesses that are the backbone of both the European and the Maltese Economy.
This at a time when the European Union has just approved an economic package targeted specifically at the smaller and medium sized enterprises and just a couple of weeks following GRTU's presentation to the Prime Minister and the Cabinet of Ministers with a package of proposals of how should the stimulants for the Maltese businesses should be.
