The GRTU has called for a one-time cut of 40% in the power bills of SMEs covering the period from last October to the first revision of the tariffs.

Chamber spokesman Joe Attard told a press conference this morning that the GRTU was asking for the reduction for non-residential accounts for consumers who used less than 1.2 million kw/h per year.

He also insisted that SMEs should not be charged peak rates during non-peak times.

The GRTU, Mr Attard said, was also renewing its opposition to cross subsidisation, which was seeing SMEs pay more so that large enterprises could having a capping on their bills. The market, he said, should function efficiently and with a high level of transparency.

Enemalta, he said, should not make losses, but it should benchmark its operations and allow a longer recovery period on its capital outlay.

The press conference was held just hours before Parliament debates the power tariffs this evening.

In a separate development, the UHM said it had written to Infrastructure Minister Austin Gatt asking him to explain the computerised process for the billing of water and electricity consumption. Bills issued since October lacked basic information, making it difficult for consumers to understand them, the union said.

The union also complained that the bills were not being issued at regular intervals and sections of the population had not been billed since September. This was maladministartion which was causing pressures on people's living standards.

The union said that in line with a November 24 letter from the prime minister, it also expected a downward revision of the utility tariffs, now that international oil prices had stabilised.