Filenews 3 March 2023
From midnight on Thursday to today Friday, the return of fuel consumption taxes to the low levels they were until midnight on February 28 was expected to begin at petrol stations, after the green light that was unanimously lit yesterday by the Plenary of the Parliament.
According to the Parliament's decision, the reduced consumption tax will be in force from March 3 to May 4, although the initial bill approved by the outgoing Government provided for an extension of the measure from March 1 to April 30. Due to the lack of understanding between the executive and the legislature, which led to the non-timely adoption of the bill, yesterday Parliament somewhat compensated consumers, who for 48 hours paid higher prices for fuel, extending for two additional days the reduced taxation.
The mobilization of the new President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides, was immediate, who signed the new law (with reduced consumption taxes) yesterday afternoon, so that the law would be published in a hurry in the Official Gazette of the Republic and enter into force at midnight.
It is not excluded that, if market conditions deem it necessary, the possibility of a new extension to reduced fuel taxes will be discussed at the end of April.
Before yesterday's vote on the new extension, the President of the House Annita Demetriou argued to MPs that the House is not responsible for the delay observed. As he said, under Article 80 of the Constitution the responsibility for submitting bills to the Parliament lies with the competent ministers, adding that the bill went to the Parliament by official means on February 23. He also indicated that based on the procedures stemming from the Constitution and the Rules of Procedure of the Parliament, in order for the Parliament to be considered institutionally responsible, the bill should be submitted to the second chapter in a regular plenary session. "So no responsibility, no mention of such can be accepted for the House, provided that today the house meets in extraordinary session, today the bill is submitted and the House of Representatives has responded immediately", stressed Mrs. Demetriou.
For her part, the chairwoman of the Parliamentary Committee on Finance Christiana Erotokritou said that the consent and contribution of all was necessary for the bill to reach the Plenary and for Cypriot taxpayers not to pay a single cent more, either for one, two or ten days.
DISY MP Onoufrios Koullas noted that it is positive that despite one year of energy crisis, the state can still support citizens.
AKEL MP Aristos Damianou called for the measure to be implemented from midnight on Thursday, saying it is not fair to burden citizens.
EDEK MP Elias Myrianthous said there is an intention for the new finance minister to revisit the issue. The President of the Parliament intervened immediately, calling on the new Government, if a similar bill would be reinstated, to be submitted on time and not as a matter of urgency. Finally, the president of ecologists Charalambos Theopemptou said that two new increases in fuel prices follow, due to the change of taxation by the EU and due to the failure of the country to achieve the targets for the use of RES in transport.
