24,600 energy bills vouchers not redeemed – Joseph Muscat

Muscat, who was addressing a political meeting at Dar l-Ewropa this morning, said that 24,600 energy bills vouchers were not redeemed this year. “The bureaucratic system is making it impossible for the people to redeem their vouchers. Vouchers expire before the energy bills even arrive, they can only be redeemed  after the full bill is paid and no matter how much vouchers one has received, only two vouchers can be redeemed with each bill,” Muscat said, whilst noting that “families have even received vouchers of only €0.01c.” The PL leader also reminded that middle class families do not receive any form of compensation or help even though the continuous increase in energy bills.

Muscat said that from the total of energy bills, the government will receive €361 million whilst households will receive back, in total, €745,000 after this year’s increase of €4 million.

Referring to a statement by Tonio Fenech, Minister of Finance, which appeared in The Sunday Times, Muscat said that Fenech has, for the third budget postponed cuts on the income tax because circumstances have change.  “The only circumstance which changed is that the elections are now over”, Muscat said.

Asked about the agricultural sector, Muscat said that the “PN has taken the farmers for granted and it seems that the Government has given up on helping them.” Farmers are suffering he said, adding that they are not the sort of people who go out to complain, ending up in the government’s lack of interest towards this sector.  “The subsidies scheme is not clear. Farmers have only now received their subsidies for 2008. It is situation which creates problems to both the farmers and consumers.”

Referring to the Pitkalija market, Muscat said that the situation at the Ta' Qali market should be “attacked”.  “The last capital investment which took place at the Pitkalija was in 1997. The current situation of this market is a market full of dirt and rubbish which has been building over the years,” Muscat said.

Muscat went on to say that Burmarrad farmers are feeling even more betrayed because of the government’s decision to pass a road through farmland in Burmarrad, “destroying these farmers’ jobs.”

Asked about the business sector, Muscat described the tackling of the Corporate Village as “amateur” in the way things were and are being handled.

Muscat also speculated about the privatisation of the Gozo Yacht Marina where he asked why the Government is only receiving €5,000 per month, whereas an apartment overlooking the marina was sold for more than  €1 million.

The PL leader called to both  PL and PN voters in cities such as Marsa and Birzebbuga to join forces with him to help improve their situation.