Updated - See PN reaction below - While fuel prices will be going down, one should not feel apologetic about taking measures, including raising tax on fuel, to discourage the use of private cars, Finance Minister Edward Scicluna said on TimesTalk yesterday.

The remark was pounced on by Shadow Finance Minister Mario de Marco who said this was the first time that the government was admitting it was keeping fuel high for this reason. He later pointed out that keeping fuel prices high undermined economic competitiveness since fuel was also used by industry and the retail sector.

Later in the programme, Prof. Scicluna said that were he to have his way, and if the country could afford it, the bus service should be free of charge, to further encourage people to use this form of transport. 

A spokesman for Alternattiva Demokratika also remarked that fuel prices should be kept high so that more people could be encouraged to use the buses.

MOTORISTS SHOULD NOT BE PENALISED, PN INSISTS

Meanwhile, speaking at a press conference this afternoon, PN deputy leader for party affairs Beppe Fenech Adami said motorists should not be penalised financially for the traffic situation.

Reacting to Prof Scicluna's comments, Dr Fenech Adami said:

“Penalising the public for being stuck in traffic is scandalous and the sign of a government that has given up. It’s insulting to suggest that traffic is the public’s fault.”

See the exchange on video above.