Nationalist Party leader Alex Borg has acknowledged that Budget 2027 contains several positive measures but criticised the government for failing to address some of the country’s most pressing challenges, including traffic congestion, healthcare, environmental protection and economic productivity.
Speaking during a press conference outside Parliament following the presentation of the Budget by Finance Minister Clyde Caruana on Monday evening, Borg said that many of the problems facing Malta remained unresolved despite the measures announced.
“The Budget includes positive measures, but it continues to suffer from the same problems as in previous years, with many of the main challenges facing our country remaining unaddressed,” Borg said.
The Opposition leader welcomed certain initiatives, including income tax reductions and additional assistance for pensioners and elderly people, but insisted that the government needed to provide more concrete solutions to the difficulties affecting Maltese and Gozitan families.
Among his principal concerns was traffic congestion, which he claimed had been largely overlooked during Caruana’s Budget speech. Borg described traffic as one of Malta’s most pressing problems and called for a clear strategy supported by effective measures.
He also expressed concern about the healthcare sector, arguing that the Budget provided no guarantees that hospital waiting lists would be reduced.
On environmental issues, Borg criticised what he described as the government’s failure to prioritise the protection and improvement of open spaces.
The Nationalist Party leader also highlighted Malta’s economic model, particularly its continued reliance on population growth to sustain economic expansion.
He warned that maintaining annual economic growth of approximately 4% would require an increase in the population of around 14,000 people every year.
Borg argued that such dependence was unsustainable in the long term and called for a shift towards an economic model driven by greater productivity rather than continued population increases.
He maintained that improving productivity was essential to ensuring sustainable economic growth and reducing pressure on the country’s infrastructure and public services.
Borg concluded by inviting the Maltese and Gozitan public to follow his official response to Budget 2027, which he is scheduled to deliver in Parliament next Monday.
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