Raising energy costs

I heard about the announced increases in petrol prices and in the water and electricity surcharge, which rose from 17 per cent to 55 per cent.

Oil is becoming more expensive, yes, but this development began a few years back. Couldn't the Maltese government and Enemalta have prepared better? Someone has to pay for it and it is usually the taxpayer who then also has to pay for the inefficiencies of the system (administration, etc.).

Since I moved to Germany four years ago, prices for water and electricity here have gone up very little. In Malta prices remained unchanged for years until the surcharge was introduced this year. If you spread the recent rise (55 per cent surcharge) over four years you get a bit less than a 14 per cent increase per year.

I think that psychologically it would have been better to have increased the prices for water and electricity slightly, let's say five per cent, every year. The necessary surcharge now would be about 20 to 25 per cent only.

Somehow I am glad I live in Germany now. Such tremendous increases would not be possible here. Gas distributors have tried it here too but the issue was taken to court where the high price increases were rejected.

Why does nobody in Malta take the government to court about this?