Prime Minister Joseph Muscat addressed Parliament on the government’s 2017 Budget saying it showed confidence in the country.
Malta’s deficit was down to 0.5%, he said, from a high of 4% before the 2013 General Election.
The Prime Minister spoke of a social budget aimed at helping low income families who would get 4 euros extra a week and in some cases as much as 15 euros a week.
Pension reforms would mean that those receiving a pension up to 13,000 euros would not be taxed.
Second Pillar pensions would not be introduced by the Labour government.
Joseph Muscat mentioned the massive reforms within the health sector where out of stock medicines were now a thing of the past.
The Opposition had claimed the budget did little for middle-class families. Not true said the Prime Minister. No tax on pensions of 13,000, reduction of tax on transfer of family business, tax relief on first properties, benefits for home buyers in Gozo, all measures aimed at helping middle-class families.
The Prime Minister thanked Sai Mizzi, wife of Minister Konrad Mizzi, for her efforts in securing a major increase in visitors from China with 10,000 expected in 2018 and that number would rise to 50,000 by 2020.
He slammed the Opposition assertion that Malta did not need a new power station and should rely only on the Malta-Sicily interconnector. That in itself was not sufficient to provide the needs of the island.
The Opposition had claimed that the interconnector and the BWSC power station had helped lower costs, yet the PN had never promised to lower tariffs.
The Prime Minister also highlighted corruption, traffic congestion and construction with disregard to ODZ.
He praised the work of the AFM who in the past 24 hours had rescued 570 migrants in a Frontex operation and was taking them to Italy.
In concluding Prime Minister Muscat said this was only the beginning and the people’s choice at the polls would be: who do you trust in health, energy, education, jobs, the economy, the low income workers, the new middle class and the distribution of wealth for all?
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