Surely the Prime Minister is not being quite honest with us when he says that because of the oil price movements, he cannot just now say whether he will be able to keep his electoral promise of lowering income tax when he next presents the country’s financial estimates in October.

A promise is a promise is a promise. Doesn’t Dr Gonzi know that? Or are politicians’ promises written in water? If he was not aware, when he made that promise in March, of the oil prices situation, I will ask: what does he do in all his travels abroad, on our account? Don’t his fellow EU leaders speak to him at all? Doesn’t he keep himself informed of what is happening?

And I do not think I have seen any explanation for the immediate sharp hike in the surcharge seeing that government spokesmen have said that Malta’s oil purchases for this year and for some months into 2009, have already been concluded, at prices that are much lower than what are being charged now. Is there, or isn’t there, an explanation? Why does the government remain silent on anything that is remotely embarrassing to it? Can we please have some honesty?

But the vital question I want to ask is: what does the price of oil have to do with lowering the rate of income tax we pay? Does not the hefty electricity surcharge we pay make good for the price being paid for oil? It is not as if the government is paying for the oil it buys through the revenue it raises from our income tax. The price of oil is paid for through the electricity charges and surcharge, not through the income tax we pay.

Whether oil costs $10 or $200 per barrel, the taxpayers are paying for it, separately from the income tax they pay, that is why the surcharge was raised to 95 from 50 per cent. The government is raising, from us, the revenue it needs to buy the oil. Separately from the income tax we pay. Dr Gonzi has no pretext to not honour the promise he made to lower the income tax bands.

Roger Mifsud

Rabat