Electricity tariffs remain discriminatory, Partit Demokratiku says

Partit Demokratiku has acknowledged Energy Minister Joe Mizzi’s initiative to investigate the outcry against costly electricity bills, but said that electricity tariffs remained discriminatory.

In a statement yesterday, the PD said that the perverse economic incentives being created through the current system are not the correct interpretation of the polluter pays principle.

“Shifting away from the use of electrical energy in favour of alternative options due to energy costs is not the correct interpretation of the polluter pays principle,” the PD stressed.

“The current system results in larger families paying more per unit despite lower consumption per capita. This is discriminatory.

“Families who select efficient air condition heating instead of gas in order to avoid accident risk with kids, are all of a sudden getting massive winter bills because of the two monthly billings. They are not consuming more, they are just consuming electricity not gas.

“What do we prefer, burning gas, petroleum and fire wood in populated areas without pollution abatement technologies, or burning cheaper cleaner gas at a new power station ?”

“We seem to be trying to induce a shift away from consuming energy whilst ignoring the substitution effect and the added pollution such perversions create. The electricity tariffs were approved based on an annual calculation.

“The current system is thus an unfair situation - large families abiding to environmental safeguards are subsidising the over consumption of industry and of smaller families.”

The Partit Demokratiku said it has, since 5 May insisted and asked the regulator to remedy this situation of inequality in bill tariffs.