[Malta] Increase will push families over poverty line – MLP

from The Malta Independent Online

The Nationalist government is closing its eyes and ears to the sufferings of thousands of families who are being hit extremely badly by the astronomical rise in the power surcharge, Labour spokesperson for Social Solidarity Marie Louise Coleiro said.

She said that the government has no social conscience as it has once again increased the surcharge to 67.5 per cent from 55 per cent, an increase that will definitely push families over the poverty line.

Ms Coleiro challenged the government to publish results of any survey on the social impact of such a surcharge, which it commissioned prior to this year’s budget, so that the people may judge the government’s social considerations for themselves.

She said that these anti-social measures showed that the government chose the easy way out to solve its problems due to its policies in the past years where national corporations were allowed to sink into massive debt.

In a statement, the General Workers Union held that it was still asking for an urgent meeting with the Prime Minister to discuss the impact of the power surcharge on its members, pensioners and their families.

The union stated that it had written three times to the PM with the latest letter being sent yesterday. It held that as the citizens continue to feel the increased pressures of the surcharge, this gave it more justification to take to the streets in protest.