No end to the clashes between AKEL and DISY over the accuracy and the consequences of the war in Ukraine. AKEL has already tabled a Proposal for a law to end double taxation on fuel by the end of the year.
In statements after the end of the Parliamentary Committee on Finance, General Secretary of AKEL, Stefanos Stefanou, explained that the Proposal for a Law has been submitted "to end the imposition of VAT on excise duty."
He noted that "there is another AKEL Proposal for a Law, which is being discussed in the Committee on Trade and concerns the extension of the reasons for issuing a cap on fuel. This law is different from the law on other basic goods."
He also said, among other things, that "we have tabled these proposals because we have found that the government does not have the necessary will to deal, as far as possible, with the wave of inexactness that exists and is particularly evident in energy issues. This accuracy is being passed on to other basic goods, with the result that part of the household budget is being eroded because of the increase in the cost of both electricity and fuel and other basic goods."
"We have also noted today, through our questions, this lack of will on the part of the government. When we asked the responsible ministry if it has approached the European Union to claim exemptions to address the electricity and fuel inaccuracy, the answer was no. The government invariably invokes the European acquis as an excuse, at a time when the European acquis itself and a number of EU decisions are intended to help Member States deal with inaccuracies in basic goods and raw materials. However, we see that the Government has done nothing," he added.
At the same time, Mr Stefanou indicated that "as AKEL, we will insist on the Proposed Law, while there are also Proposed Laws submitted by other parties concerning electricity. We will await the answers from the government to the questions we have submitted and next week the debate will continue in the Finance Committee."
DISY: "They returned to sterile rhetoric on the double fuel tax"
Responding to the reports of the General Secretary of AKEL, the Democratic Rally, through a written statement, says that "the government took concrete measures to support society, with AKEL zeroing in on them, and today they returned to sterile rhetoric on the double fuel tax".
"Without caring either about the budgetary consequences of such a measure, nor about the fact that such a move is probably outside the European acquis," DISY notes.
It also points out that "the country's economic policy is not made with declarations and slogans for sensationalism. It is done responsibly and within our fiscal limits and our obligations as an EU member state."
"We have proven this in AKEL repeatedly but they do not want to understand it, precisely so that they can continue unhindered on the path of populism. We will not follow them," DISY underlines in conclusion.
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