The General Secretary of the C.E. of AKEL, Stefanos Stefanou, today sent a letter to the Minister of Energy, Trade and Industry, Natasha Pilidou, in which he notes that the reduction of the excise tax on fuel has not led to a reduction in prices. She also calls on the government to carry out a real audit and confront big private interests.
The letter reads as follows:
"As had happened on previous occasions, the reduction of the excise tax on fuel did not lead to a reduction in prices. Instead, in just a few days and literally overnight, prices were increased simultaneously in all fuel companies. Any benefit to the consumer from the reduction in excise duty was wiped out.The phenomenon of a sudden increase in the retail price of fuel when international prices rise, as opposed to a delayed and delayed reduction when international prices fall, has been raised many times in the past, both by us and by other bodies. We are seeing the same phenomenon now, which again raises the issue of the effectiveness of controls to combat obscenity and the inability of the state to deal with any pre-coordination between oil importing companies. As many times as we have raised these issues inside and outside Parliament, I regret to note that we have never received convincing answers from the competent Ministry.
Consumers ask, how is it possible that overnight the prices of all fuel companies have increased simultaneously and uniformly? When did the companies order the shipments, when did the ships come in, when were they priced, when were they taxed, when did the fuel go to the stations? Who was supposed to control the procedures, the prices and protect consumers from obscenity if not the government?
From time to time the Ministry had given you various assurances that it would thoroughly examine and find solutions to the issues of fuel pricing (the formula by which prices are set), ensuring competition, effective controls and cracking down on obscenity, but we have never seen any proposal. When the debate lights go out, the assurances are forgotten.
At the same time, the government has never seriously discussed the proposals and suggestions that AKEL and other parties submit to Parliament. We are usually met with outright rejection or sometimes even irony. We have never received an answer as to why double taxation on fuel should not be abolished, as we have long been suggesting, or why a price cap should not be issued to protect consumers.
Madam Minister,
It is clear that if there is no will on the part of the government to carry out real scrutiny and confront big private interests, then even the inadequate measures it announces will evaporate, as has happened now. Consumers cannot afford any more excuses. They demand effective measures, which unfortunately they do not see."
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