'National protest' planned over price of diesel

The Chamber for Small and Medium Enterprise (GRTU) and other national associations that represent transporters and distributors yesterday announced plans for a "national protest" over the price of diesel.

The GRTU said it was proceeding with plans to organise the protest after the government ignored the associations' requests to revise the increases in diesel prices and draw up a transparent system which establishes the price of diesel and other fuels.

The chamber said it had submitted a complaint to the European Commission but was still waiting for the government to remedy the issue without wasting any time.

Contacted for comments, a spokesman for the Investments Ministry said that although the GRTU was exercising its right to protest, it "should be careful to ensure its protests have some genuine use rather than raise temperatures pointlessly."

The spokesman said the recent 0.8c increase in the price of diesel was entirely due to the shifts in international oil prices.

"It is unlikely that the GRTU will manage to change the realities of the global economy by mobilising its members," he said.

The spokesman said the protest was unnecessary when the government was doing everything in its power to keep diesel prices as low as possible.

"The government continues to keep the excise duty levied on diesel considerably below European minimum rates and recent increases of 3c3 in levies on other motor fuels to dampen the increase in electricity rates did not effect diesel prices."

The government, he said, had also instructed Enemalta to reduce its margins on thin industrial fuels by two-thirds to help ensure price stability.

"Surely, the GRTU is not expecting that taxes levied from some of its members be used to subsidise the operations of other members on behalf of whom it is organising the protest," the spokesman said.