Opinion: Should Prices For Essentials Like Bottled Water Be Capped In Malta?
As prices soar and people find it harder to make ends meet, social media has turned to posting food and beverage items and/or their prices.
A contentious issue is the price of water bottles in public places.
In the searing heat of summer, if you are out for the day you could end up spending a small fortune buying small bottles of water, sometimes up to €2 a pop, to keep from dehydrating.
Some shops intentionally don’t sell large bottles, mindful of the huge markup they can turnover as people have no option than to pay whatever arbitrary price the shopkeeper decides.
People on social media have been pushing at some level of government control on prices. This is a controversial issue, with some claiming that it is an extortionate monopoly while others invoke the free market, European values and is-suq isuq (the market drives the price) ideologies.
Let’s give an example.
You go for a day at the beach. There is a bar which bought a lease on public land, the coast, to sell a service to a captive market. Is it fair that they sell you an essential product marked up 10-15 times because there is nowhere else to get a cold drink? Are they there to provide a service or to fleece the public whose land they have appropriated?
Lovin Malta spoke to a bar owner.”When I first opened I use to sell it 50c. Then Farsons told me to make it €1 because soft drinks are not supposed to be sold at twice the price. It should be 20 to 30% profit, not 50% of the selling price. Unlike, beers and alcohol which are sold at 100% markup.”
“Water is the product that has the highest rate of profit. I agree it should be capped.”
Free market exponents will cry socialism and that the EU doesn’t accept government price regulation. Well, Greece thinks different…
It seems that in Greece the government can and does regulate the price of water. At a humble 50c.
Because it’s a necessity.
This is not about not allowing businesses to make a profit. You can still charge €30 for your tuna steak because that is not a necessity.
But should they profiteer on this life-giving necessity?
A small bottle of water which at wholesale price costs 23c sells for €2, almost 10 times the original price. Free market or profiteering?
Malta’s Tiger King Anton Rea Cutajar calls to the government to cap the price of a small bottle of water to €1 and a small soft drink to €2.
While receiving hundreds of reactions and positive comments many seem to be under the impression that government cannot regulate prices because we operate in the free European market.
Cutajar said: “Isn’t Greece in Europe? Why is Malta any less?” referring to claims that we can’t regulate prices because we are in the EU
One commented,”I believe 100% that water should be a right, either cheap or free.”
“I only get a €800 salary…” lamented another one.
“€2 from Valletta kiosks” vented yet another.
“Do you want to sell water for 50 cents? Can you start by giving an example before suggesting it to someone else? The example is ridiculous… Start by entering the zoo for free and getting free drinks for the kids at least, not like Greece for 50 cents.” This time a barb to the original poster.
Not everyone agrees. Some pointed out that Greece has excellent tap water and it doesn’t cost much for restaurants to give a free caraffe.
“Rest assured that their tap water is better than our bottled one.” asserted one.
That is also a problem, one reason we don’t have public drinking fountains. Though tap water is officially safe to drink, many feel that it doesn’t taste right and very few people in Malta are happy to accept a glass of tap water.
Is it possible to upgrade the quality of our drinking water so we can do away with this plastic bottle culture?
I understand if not but it would be nice to be informed in scientific terms exactly why?
The long term resultant savings and minimisation of plastic waste should shore up capital costs to achieve this quality. Everyone should have the right to free or affordable drinking water. It’s a prerogative to life. Rising population density piles more pressure on this diminishing resource.
I’m not saying that nothing is being done and I believe/hope the annoying roadworks are creating larger rain water catchment areas but we deserve better communication about this scarce and precious resource.
Do we charge a fair equitable compensation to the companies exploiting this resource to bottle water and soft drinks?
Do we have a consolidated water management plan?
It would be good to get some answers to these important questions.
Do you think a small bottle of life-giving water should be capped at €1?
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