The Opposition has given notice of a motion in Parliament for the revocation of a legal notice that brought the new utility tariffs into force.

The motion, presented by whip Joe Mizzi, says the new tariffs will cause hardship to families, raise unemployment and undermine the economy at a time when it actually needed stimulus.

The increases, the motion says, included costs which the people were being expected to bear because of the inefficient running of Enemalta. As a result, the tariffs for businesses and industry were now the highest in the European Union.

The motion also says that the new tariffs were introduced without real prior consultation with the social partners and the legal notice had also formally introduce a sewerage tax.

PN REACTION

The Nationalist Party in a reaction said that before the MEP elections Labour Leader Joseph Muscat gave the impression that should he ever become Prime Minister he would reduce the water and electricity tariffs, but immediately after that election he declared that he wasn’t ready to commit himself whether he would reduce the tariffs or not.

("I'm not going to make a commitment for the next election before I have the matters in hand." - Joseph Muscat http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20090614/local/muscat-says-he-cant-commit-on-future-electricity-prices.)

The PN said the motion presented by the Labour Party regarding the utility tariffs was ample proof of Labour’s superficiality and its belief that politics was about gimmicks and cheap shots.