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Tuesday in a Department of Information press release
The Ministry for Investments reacts to the story that appeared in MaltaToday last Sunday and publishes the PricewaterhouseCoopers report that was used to justify the surcharge.
Wednesday in The Malta Financial and Business Times
The Malta Financial and Business Times carries a careful analysis of the PWHC report and discovers that Enemalta paid less for its oil in 2004 than it did in 2003. The newspaper also discovers that the Ministry’s own report had used 1999 as the baseline for calculating Enemalta’s fuel costs.
Wednesday at Business Times Business Breakfast
Parliamentary Secretary Tonio Fenech is evasive on the surcharge controversy but confirms that the additional burden the consumer will have to shoulder is linked to losses incurred by Enemalta because of changes in the price of fuel since 1999.
Wednesday in Parliament
During his budget reaction speech Opposition Leader Alfred Sant raises doubts as to what the real intention behind the surcharge is and as to how it was calculated.
Friday in a Department of Information press release
The Investments Ministry reacts to the story in The Malta Financial and Business Times two days earlier and reiterates its stand that the surcharge was justified because of the adverse impact fuel oil prices had on Enemalta. The Ministry also publishes the prices of the oil purchased by Enemalta in 2003 and 2004 to justify its case. The prices are quoted in Dollars.
Friday in Parliament
Investments Minister Austin Gatt says he will be asking the Opposition to nominate someone on the oil hedging committee that will be set up to advise Enemalta on the purchase of its oil requirements. He says Enemalta buys its oil from Total Fina and Trafigura.
Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi in his closing down speech on the budget brushes the surcharge controversy aside and in a couple of sentences says the surcharge was justified because of the impact higher oil prices had on Enemalta. He gives no explanation for the figures quoted in the Investments Ministry PricewaterhouseCoopers report which quantify losses since 1999.
Saturday on Radio Malta
Opposition Leader Alfred Sant says MLP deputy leader Charles Mangion and himself will be raising the issue of the surcharge with the Auditor General to investigate how the 17 per cent tax was arrived at and on what basis.
Saturday in The Times
The social partners including the secretary generals of the two largest unions tell The Times that they were never informed of the difference between fuel oil and crude oil. They insist that at the MCESD Minister Gatt gave them the impression that the surcharge was necessary to make up for the additional burden Enemalta had to carry in 2005 because of increasing crude oil prices.
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