Opposition Leader Charles Mangion yesterday said the latest Eurostat figures show that inflation in Malta is not solely caused by increasing oil and food prices, contrary to what the government is saying.

In a statement, Dr Mangion said that the HICP excluding food and energy showed Maltese inflation to be the highest in the eurozone, jumping from 2.8 per cent in January to 4.3 per cent in July while the average rate was 1.7 per cent.

Dr Mangion said that since food and oil prices were supposed to affect all countries in the same way, it was clear that there were local factors causing inflation. He said that all prices in Malta rose by 5.6 per cent this past year and is one of the highest rates in the Eurozone, meaning that the PN’s electoral promise to increase standards of living was not being kept, he said. He also said the government was not doing anything about the problem.

Coupled with high inflation, he said, is the fact that according to the International Monetary Fund, Malta’s salaries had increased at the lowest rate within the European Union. He said this meant that salaries were not keeping up with increased cost of living, meaning that people were not getting improved quality of life.

He urged the government to ensure that the free market concept is implemented properly and to eradicate abuse in pricing, in turn protecting consumers.

He said that more jobs were needed and that these jobs needed to offer better salaries to push up the average wage figure.

Dr Mangion also urged the government to make sure Enemalta and Water Services run more efficiently to reduce costs for families and businesses.