The owner of a cannery near the southern Italian port city of Salerno has received a hefty electricity bill of one million euros, almost ten times more than in the same period a year ago. Shocked entrepreneur Francesco Franzese published the two electricity bills from July 2022 and the comparable month 2021 on social networks.
According to the entrepreneur, the bill was an “acceptable” amount of 120,000 euros a year ago, as July and August are the hot phase of tomato processing. The July 2022 electricity bill of 978,000 euros, on the other hand, surprised and outraged the manufacturer, who placed a bitter comment next to the photos of the bills. “While our politicians fight for a seat in parliament, entrepreneurs are left alone in the midst of the energy jungle,” Franzese wrote.
“Must charge ten euros for pizza margherita”
Many Italian entrepreneurs suffer from high energy prices. The owner of a pizzeria near the northern Italian town of Cremona has spent his latest utility bill to justify higher prices for his dishes. The innkeeper hung a photocopy of his latest bill in the window of his pizzeria in Roncadello. “I am forced to ask 10 euros for a pizza margherita or I have to close the business,” said Alberto Rovati, owner of Pizzeria Funky Gallo.
For the month of July, he had to pay an electricity bill of 4,000 euros, 300 percent higher than in July 2021, when he had to pay 1,350 euros. “By showing the bill I don’t want to scare my customers, I want to send a signal that it can’t go on like this,” says Rovati.
Billion package didn’t help enough
Italian families and businesses are plagued by high energy prices. Two weeks ago, the government of outgoing Prime Minister Mario Draghi released an aid package with aid measures close to €14 billion to cushion the negative effects of high energy prices. However, these are assessed as insufficient by the entrepreneurs.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
