PN’s fuel price comparison excludes taxes - Labour

An exercise carried out by the Nationalist Party comparing fuel prices with EU member states excluded taxes, the Labour Party said.

Reacting to claims by the PN that Malta’s fuel prices were more expensive than Italy’s the PL said that, in reality, petrol prices are 14% cheaper than Italy’s while diesel prices are 17% cheaper than the United Kingdom’s. The UK, Labour said, has the highest price for diesel.

Accusing PN leader Simon Busuttil of “economic incompetence”, Labour said the Opposition was making incorrect statements.

The party in government said that the figures quoted by the PN were not the prices ultimately paid by consumers at the petrol stations, as these excluded taxes.

“Statistics issued by the European Commission show that the price of petrol in Malta is 4c cheaper than it was during the last of a Nationalist government, while diesel is 2c cheaper,” it said.

Labour went on to hit out at Busuttil for ‘predicting’ Malta would be requesting a bailout while in reality the country was registering the highest rates of economic growth.