Power hike alarms Qld business, farmers QUEENSLAND businesses and farmers say they are desperate for real action to reduce the price of electricity. The Queensland Competition Authority will on Friday release its final decision on power price hikes for next financial year. The Queensland government has previously said it was an unacceptable increase, but this week it reneged on an offer to give taxpayers a rebate. It will, however, spend $136 million to assist pensioners and concession card holders while doubling the emergency assistance scheme for low-income households. Nick Behrens, from the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Queensland, says rebates are a bandaid solution and "open-heart surgery is more or less needed." He says too much is being spent upgrading poles and wires, and the focus needs to be on reducing bills. "Business is certainly numb to the rhetoric and lack of follow-through from government," he told AAP. They continue to say they want to address the issue but over the last seven years there has been a doubling of electricity prices for commercial users. Business will be alarmed by the latest increase. It will threaten business viability. Canegrowers say the cost of running irrigation is becoming too expensive and threatens the future of irrigated farming in Queensland. The group's chairman Alf Cristaudo says farmers, too, are looking at a doubling of electricity prices over the past seven years. "It is not only reducing viability of irrigated farms and the industry's international competitiveness," he said. Escalation in government fees and charges, especially water and electricity, is putting the government's election promise of doubling the value of agricultural production on a path to failure.