More than 65 per cent of the 41,300 small and medium sized businesses will see their bills soar by around 17 per cent over the 95 per cent surcharge they are already paying.
A smaller number of businesses, 3,255, will have to fork out an additional 37 per cent, according to calculations made by the Chamber of Small and Medium Enterprises - GRTU.
In a strongly worded statement yesterday, the GRTU criticised the government for forging ahead with the water and electricity rates, saying the tariffs published by legal notice were higher than those proposed in October, making them "the worst possible Christmas present" for SMEs.
The GRTU said the official tariffs were between 10.4 and 15 per cent higher than the original rates proposed to social partners in October, which had caused a storm of protests and led unions to organise a joint demonstration in Valletta.
The GRTU's director general Vince Farrugia warned that the new rates were going to lead to a number of lay-offs and closures, contradicting Infrastructure Minister Austin Gatt who, speaking to the Sunday Times, was adamant that no business will shut down because of the new tariffs.
Mr Farrugia insisted that not all businesses could afford to pass on the costs to the consumer, as was the government's apparent intention, adding that such costs would be recovered through job cuts. The situation was especially difficult in view of the global financial crisis.
"The GRTU is once again appealing to the Cabinet to come to its senses over this issue. Economic woes are on our doorstep but rather than calling for subsidies for SMEs, the GRTU is appealing to the government not to continue to burden and obstruct such enterprises," it said.
The GRTU also insisted that the government's strategy of having 41,324 small businesses subsidising 531 clients, which consume more than 200,000 units annually, was not only unfair but in violation of the EU's Electricity Directive, which did not allow such cross subsidisation.
The GRTU said it was not against assistance to the large firms but not at the expense of the smaller ones.
It expressed its belief that Enemalta was going through severe financial difficulties and that the tariffs were being imposed to make up for these problems.
It had presented a detailed analysis of the tariffs and had also published an alternative plan but these efforts were completely ignored by the government.