The government would be saving €4 million, to the detriment of motorists, by delaying its announced reductions in petrol and diesel prices to January 1, Shadow Minister Marthese Portelli said in parliament this morning.

This was almost equivalent to the sum given to the operators of the Café Premier in the government’s deal with them shortly after the election, she noted.

Insisting this was an justice for motorists, Dr Portelli said the reductions of 3c for petrol and 4c for diesel did not go far enough, more so since the government would be raising its own revenue by increasing excise duty on fuel.

She also hit out at the government over electricity tariffs and for failing to publish agreements it had reached on the building of the new power station, including how gas would be supplied and the power purchase agreement between Enemalta and the suppliers.

The government, she said, had bound itself to buy electricity from Electrogas for 18 years at 9c6 per unit when power from the interconnector was today being bought at an average of 4c7, with 5c1 at peak times and 4c2 offpeak - with zero emissions.