Fuel duty does not fluctuate with price - government

The government said this afternoon that duty on fuel were calculated by volume, not price, and therefore did not fluctuate every time the oil price rose, as the surcharge did.

The government was replying to comments by Labour leader Joseph Muscat, who has urged the government to cap its revenue from duty on fuel at last month’s levels.

It said the Labour leader was wrong to argue that the duty operated in the same way as the surcharge, because duty was charged by volume while the surcharge was linked to the price.

And while the oil price had continued to rise, the government had not increased the duty.

The government said it could not understand how Dr Muscat’s proposals to strengthen democracy had included capping of fuel duties.