Yesterday in Parliament, the Prime Minister criticised Opposition Leader Alex Borg for failing to mention stability or guarantee it in his reply to the Budget speech. The Prime Minister said that it could not be possible for the Opposition Leader to make a speech about the economy without mentioning its most crucial and important aspect.
The Prime Minister opened his speech by dedicating it to workers and saying that Labour had kept its pledge to give them the super-bonus because the Labour Party believes in workers. He said that the Labour government is guaranteeing their stability and is their safeguard against external shocks. Referring to the social measures announced in the Budget, the Prime Minister said that this was the only progressive budget in Europe right now. He also said that this was the most socialist budget in our history.
The Prime Minister also mentioned a raft of measures announced in the Budget, including the €10 weekly increase in pensions, the €6.41 weekly COLA increase, the reduction in income tax for married couples and families with children, and the reduction of corporate tax from 35% to 25% for qualifying small businesses with turnover below €1 million that retain or reinvest their profits.
He also lambasted the Opposition Leader on his position with regard to government subsidies and said that despite supporting these measures, the Nationalist Party can’t guarantee them. He also praised the fiscal policies targeting third-country nationals saying the government aims to reduce immigration of foreign labour to focus on building a higher productivity economy.
During his speech, the Prime Minister also announced that the Gozo Channel ferry will be free of charge.
You can view the Prime Minister’s speech here.
Newsroom
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