In a brief address at a political activity in Qormi on Tuesday evening, Labour Leader Joseph Muscat that despite promises of reducing the surcharge if the price of oil went below $85 per barrel, the government was now raising the surcharge to 185 percent.

Muscat said that government is way behind other European governments in his plans to reduce petrol and diesel prices in January and February. He said such reductions should have been applied a long time ago, as had happened in other European countries, according to Muscat.

Dr Muscat reiterated that government ought to withdraw the new utility tariffs as proposed before the budget in November.

Muscat also spoke of Labour’s support for the Valletta rehabilitation project but insisted that people have the right to know why the project was not mentioned during the budget speech and where the funds for the project are going to come from.