Government and opposition yesterday continued crossing swords over the high cost of living and escalating petrol prices.
Commerce Minister Antonis Paschalides was quick to defend the government against claims by Disy`s Averof Neophytou of unjustifiably high petrol prices in Cyprus and a high cost of living, with citizens bearing the brunt.
The Disy acting president on Wednesday called journalist to a petrol station where he filled his car with petrol to prove the high cost of fuel in Cyprus.
He had also claimed that for every one euro paid for petrol 40 cents go in government taxes.
The minister yesterday bluntly said that nobody in his ministry had ever said petrol prices were low in Cyprus.
“On the contrary, the continuous efforts of the minister personally and the team working at the Competition Service to keep prices down and combating possible cases of profiteering are well known,” said Paschalides.
“Secondly, petrol prices are expensive everywhere in the world, with the increase of international crude oil prices in the last few months as a result of the crisis in the Middle East,” he added.
He insisted that as a result of low taxes Cyprus pump prices rank the island the second or third cheapest country in Europe according to EU data.
“According to the European Commission Oil Bulletin which was released on April 18, Cyprus is the second cheapest country when it comes to 95 octane petrol and the seventh cheapest for diesel,” Paschalides said.
The Disy acting president had charged there are double standards when it comes to the economy in Cyprus.
“In Cyprus, we have two economies. There is the economy of the governing sector that sees everything through rose-tinted glasses and that says everything is fine and that there is no high cost of living but growth and that unemployment is controlled.
“But there is also the economy for citizens, and their wallets are emptied every time they shop,” Neophytou said.
He told journalists that he had to pay 75 Euro to fill his 4*4 of which 30 Euro went to taxes.
Going back to the year 2000, he said Cypriots used to fill their cars for less than 10 Sterlin.
Reacting to the minister`s criticism, Disy issued an announcement referring to the recent consumer tax hikes for petrol, particularly diesel.
“This is why we have a problem with the government. They are not in touch with citizens and their problems,” the party said.
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