I must express my disappointment and shock at the way the surcharge on water and electricity was raised before the budget.

To move from 17 per cent to 55 per cent at the push of a button, not to mention the fact that the surcharge will continue to rise monthly to 84 per cent in two years’ time, is something that few were expecting.

Although I do agree that the government has no other option in the circumstances because of the steady increase in the international price of oil, I do believe that more should have been done in the past years to invest in other forms of energy.

Malta relies heavily on oil and the bubble was bound to burst one day. Now that it has, we are suffering the consequences of a lack of planning.

Successive governments should have been more aware of the possibility of an oil crisis and planned beforehand.

C. Camilleri

Rabat