Malta Labour Party leader, Joseph Muscat, has said that the increase in the price of surcharge, nearly doubling from 50 per cent to 95 per cent, shows that the government is only tackling the energy issue as an exercise in accountancy.

The Labour leader said that the government had ignored Labour’s calls to study the social and economic impact before announcing such a dramatic increase in the surcharge, which will have a very negative effect on families.

“It is clear that government’s decision will also negatively affect businesses, especially the smaller businesses. More importantly low and middle income families will see a drastic reduction in their standard of living, a drop in purchasing power, as well as soaring inflation. This will have a further negative impact on businesses and the national productivity. All this without mentioning the affect on competitiveness,” the Labour leader said.

“The decision which government took ‘unilaterally’ is a burden on society and economic potential of the country,” Dr Muscat added.

The Labour leader said that it is disappointing that government did not consult constituted bodies before taking such an important decision which will have such widespread consequences.

Dr Muscat concluded by saying that, in the coming weeks, the Labour Party will be consulting and holding discussions with interested parties, in order to formulate alternative viable strategies.