So, the price of petrol and diesel has gone up again. What’s new, one may ask?

We have got used to it by now.

And, as the international price of oil continues to rise because of world events that affect it, we should expect a hefty increase in the water and electricity surcharge at the end of this month too.

One comment I would like to make is the following: the government had said that the surcharge would have increased gradually, by one or two percentage points, over a period of two years up to a maximum of 84 per cent.

But the shift has been more drastic, as the surcharge first fell to 47.5 per cent before shooting up to 67.5 per cent for March and April.

Given this scenario, I would not be surprised if we go past the 84 per cent mark as from May, which would mean that we would have arrived “on target” after only six months, and not 24.

T. Camilleri

Birkirkara