The Nationalist Party said that the new tax imposed on toiletries and other products used daily by the Maltese people will lead to an increase in daily costs for the family.

In a statement, the PN said that the measures announced in the budget are anti-business and will have a negative impact on the country’s competitiveness. The statements issued in this regard by the Chamber of Commerce and the GRTU should be taken seriously, as they indicate that the introduction of the tax was not regular and was done without any consultation.

The government is adopting the same stubborn attitude even with regard to the energy and water tariffs. Even here, the Opposition and social partners are calling for a reduction based on the fact that the price of oil has come down and, added to this, the use of the BWSC power station and interconnector make such a reduction possible.

The truth is that the Muscat power station, which the PN describes as the monument to corruption, will keep the prices higher than they should, given that electricity from the interconnector costs much less than the energy produced by the Muscat power station.

The PN quoted a report in The Malta Independent on Sunday saying that every year, the Maltese people will be paying €180 million for energy generated by the Muscat power station when the same amount of electricity can be bought for €95 million less via the interconnector.