As long as the government is indifferent, the people will be paying a heavy price

 

Statement by AKEL Political Bureau member Eleni Mavrou on yesterday’s Consumer Protection Service announcement and the Finance Minister’s statements

12 February 2022, AKEL C.C. Press Office, Nicosia

According to yesterday’s announcement by the Consumer Protection Service, price increases were imposed on 63% of the products included in the family basket last month. Increases on basic goods, essential for our daily living: Fresh milk (up to 5.1%), Flour, sugar, eggs (up to 5.9%), Vegetables (up to 200.5%), LPG cylinders (9.4%)…Increases that follow the tsunami of the high cost of living we have been experiencing for a long time.

The Finance Minister’s casual response to price hikes that are bringing thousands of households to their knees was that inflation in Cyprus “remains significantly lower than the European average” and that “a deceleration is expected in… 2023”!

We didn’t expect anything different. A government whose only concern is how to serve powerful economic interests is naturally incapable of understanding the anguish people feel.

In the meantime, the period when the Cyprus Electricity Authority took the decision to absorb 10% of the electricity price increase is over, the period of the curbed VAT reduction on electricity is ending and people’s subsequent electricity bills will skyrocket once again.

Cyprus needs a drastic plan to curb price rises immediately. Instead, the concern of the ruling DISY party and its government was that AKEL’s proposal for an open-ended reduction, at least, of the VAT on electricity from 19% to 9% should not be approved. And when the majority of parliament decided otherwise, Anastasiades made sure that this wasn’t implemented.

They don’t listen to the proposals submitted by AKEL and other parties. They don’t even listen to the European Commission telling them that “there are tools” they can use to deal with the situation. But as long as the government ruling forces remain indifferent, the people will be paying a heavy price.