The Water Services Corporation and Enemalta are owed €53,731,901 by 3,142 companies operating in Malta and Gozo that did not pay their utility bills in the first five months of 2010.
Answering a parliamentary question by Carmelo Abela (PL), Finance Minister Tonio Fenech said that agreement had been reached with 619 companies to pay their bills piecemeal within four to six months. There were also 2,828 companies that had not paid their bills or any part thereof for more than a year.
Minister Fenech added that the 22 major energy-consuming companies in the manufacturing sector had been given a concession with the transition from a surcharge system to actual tariffs being done over a period of months.