Opposition criticises mounting debt and lack of mass transportation system in initial reaction to Budget

In a brief press conference following the budget speech by the Minister for Finance, Opposition Leader, Alex Borg praised many of the budget’s measures but noted that the government is planning to raise the debt by up to €14 billion in 2028, almost triple the the initial level at the start of Robert Abela’s premiership. He also said that more efforts need to be made to find solutions to improve the quality of life and address the traffic problem. In addition he noted that there was no solution for the overpopulation problem.

Alex Borg welcome the government’s tax deductions and said that this was similar to the Nationalist Party’s proposal to give a grant of €8,500 for parents who have their second child.

You can watch the Opposition Leader’s initial reaction here.

Also in its initial statements, the Nationalist Party criticised the government for providing no proposals for mass transportation and for ignoring Gozo Channel. PN also criticised the government for awarding Ministers a pay rise of €1,700 per year.

The Nationalist Party also noted that there the measure by the government to pay car drivers €5,000 a year for five years if they give up their license. The measure applies to drivers up to 30 years of age.