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10 years ago - The Times Monday, December 8, 2008 Oil price too low for a surcharge – Joseph Muscat At the current price of oil, the surcharge on energy bills should be zero, Labour leader Joseph Muscat said yesterday, pointing out that there had been nWhat happened on... December 8
10 years ago - The Times Monday, December 8, 2008 Oil price too low for a surcharge – Joseph Muscat At the current price of oil, the surcharge on energy bills should be zero, Labour leader Joseph Muscat said yesterday, pointing out that there had been no extra charge when crude last fell to $42 per barrel. He reiterated the calculations released by the Labour Party in the past weeks, saying that with slipping oil prices it did not make sense to increase the surcharge on energy bills from the current 95 per cent to an equivalent of 185 per cent. His comments, made yesterday at a party activity in Paola, come as the international price of crude oil dropped below $42 per barrel, its lowest since January 2005. The last time oil prices had been this low Malta did not even have a surcharge, he argued, accusing the Prime Minister of creating uncertainty in the country especially because he introduced the utility tariffs retroactively from October 1, without the meters being read. Dr Muscat maintained that the new tariffs were not being introduced because of high oil prices but to cover inefficiencies and the government’s waste. “How can it be that when fuel prices are falling all over... Read more