Insidious taxes

To the man or woman in the street, an awareness of increasing prices and a rising cost of living seems to filter through by degrees. Almost imperceptibly, certain items which are very much part and parcel of one's lifestyle are becoming more expensive.

Take, for instance, the simple plastic bag, so long in abundant availability at all supermarkets and shops. The recent eco-tax on non-bio-degradable carrier bags has meant the reapparance of the old-fashioned cloth bag, alongside the charge for each plastic bag of anything between 2c and 7c, depending on where you're shopping from.

While it is admirable that the government is becoming so environment-conscious and seeks to eliminate non-biodegradable items, the upshot of all this is twofold: on the one hand, is seems a retrograde step to return to the era of the "shopping bag" as opposed to the disposable plastic bags so ubiquitous in the last 20 years; on the other hand, for those who prefer to maintain modern standards, their weekly shopping bill is rather more expensive.

Another feature of everyday life and one becoming increasingly essential to most people is the mobile phone. Here again, the introduction of a tax on the use of such phones was mentioned in the budget. However, initially it appeared that the mobile phone companies would absorb the new tax. This is not the case - with effect from December 15, anybody buying a mobile phone card will have noticed that, although one is paying the full price of, say, a Lm5 card, the credit on the mobile phone is reduced to Lm4.73. On querying this sudden (so it seemed) withdrawal of one's entitlement of full credit for full payment, the explanation about the latest insidious tax was forthcoming.

It appears that, whereas previously the mobile phone companies did not pass any taxes onto their customers, the new measure meant that they would now pass on the two sets of excise duty imposed on the mobile phone companies direct to the customer. This somehow translates as 27c on each Lm5 mobile pone card purchased - heavy duty indeed!

One might argue that this is an 'extra' and that, if people want the luxury of a mobile phone, then they must be prepared to pay for it. It seems that mobile phones are expensive enough in their own right (when compared to fixed line charges, the cost of phoning and speaking by mobile phone is astronomical) without the added cost of this newly introduced tax on communication.

The recent prolonged unexpectedly cold weather has brought home another of the rises in the cost of living. The taxes on paraffin have meant that people who were accustomed to warming their homes with a Potez heater suddenly discovered that the rise in the cost of this fuel made it extremely expensive to run it. Economising with the amount of heat and the length of time at which the Potez was switched on meant hardship and misery for those who had to endure the very cold winter we have had.

Similarly, those who used paraffin to fill their tanks for "central heating" found that the same amount of paraffin now cost more than double. Typically, if a home owner were paying Lm65 for a refill, the new tax meant the cost rose to Lm130! Consequently, some householders opted to change to light fuel oil in place of the paraffin.

Another form of heating which has similarly been affected by higher prices combined with unavailability is the ubiquitous gas cylinder for use with gas heating appliances. Much has been written recently about the scarcity of the gas cylinders so much in demand in the cold weather.

Enemalta has gone to great lengths to explain and reassure the public that a large consignment of gas cylinders had to be rejected and returned to where they had been issued as they were sub-standard and contrary to EU regulations. This is very praiseworthy. However, surely massive attempts should have been made to ensure that another source for these cylinders became available within the shortest possible time. According to Enemalta the situation is now back to normal.

That may be so, but surely the gas distribution system needs an overhaul. It is a problem to find out exactly the time and route of delivery of the gas cylinders truck. Perhaps Enemalta should print an advertisement detailing the routes and times of their gas cylinder deliveries for all to know and, thus, people wishing to buy gas cylinders can take care to lie in wait for the truck. There is a problem with this suggestion because the distributors are not employed by Enemalta. They are self-employed and regulate their own delivery times.

Enemalta are quite willing and able to take orders for delivery over the telephone but there is a hitch. On accepting the order, there is only one way to discover when the cylinders are going to be delivered and that is by contacting a Customer Care number which operates strictly at office hours and which, according to Enemalta, might be able to produce time and date of delivery, but the fact that the distributors are self-employed means there is no guarantee of this personal delivery service. Once again, know the distributor's delivery route and time and lie in wait for the truck!

This begs the question: would the Government make it a holy grail to reintroduce the town gas system, with direct connections within homes? This system was phased out in the early Seventies. Why was this basic human requirement (on a par with the provision of electricity and water) withdrawn? Apparently, the old pipework was desperately in need of renewal and a decision was taken to discontinue the service.

So, is there hope for the future? Perhaps, some enterprising consortium could get together and work out the costs and requirements and, wonder of wonders, one day in the not too distant future Malta might join the rest of Europe and mains gas supply becomes a reality! How wonderful this would be! The easy and practical solution is at hand to ensure the warmth in homes and the constant supply of gas to cookers and boilers would be a most welcome improvement to the people of Malta! So, let us have mains gas supply!