The Times describes the Finance Minister’s speech in parliament on Monday as a ‘Budget with a social soul’ addressing the needs of low-income earners. The paper speaks to economist JP Fabri who said that the budget indicates the government’s intention to distribute wealth and promote housing affordability. Critics of the budget pointed at insufficient measures to drive new economic sectors while the Opposition Leader said that the budget lacks vision.
L-Orizzont calls the budget ‘a sensible one for a more just society’. It welcomes the government’s announcement to introduce Equal Pay for Equal Work measures and expects discussions to start in the coming months. The paper says that this was one of the main recommendations proposed by the General Workers Union and that it will be ‘the first step in a long road’ to achieve remuneration parity for workers engaged by private contractors.
The Independent says that this is the government’s ‘greenest budget yet’ with several proposals addressing environmental concerns. The Finance Minister said that a Beverage Container Recycling Scheme will be introduced by the end of the year while single-use plastic products will be banned from 2022. He announced that a purposely established commission will advise government on a cut-off date for imports of combustion engine vehicles and revealed plans for a waste-to-energy plant.
Malta Today leads with a ‘Baby Bonus’ measure that will introduce a one-time €300 social benefit for families who have a child or adopt. The paper says that around 4,000 families are expected to benefit from the policy, which will not be means-tested. Addressing pensioners, the Finance Minister announced a pension increase of €3.15 per week on top of a cost of living adjustment to €3.49. The annual age benefit for over 75-year-olds will increase by €50 from €300 once they turn 80 years.
In-Nazzjon carries the reaction of the Opposition Leader who said that the budget does not solve any of the problems created by the government itself. Adrian Delia said that the cost of living adjustment is not enough to cope with rising prices and said that the only economic sector the government wants to develop is population growth. The paper calls this a ‘recycled budget’ of past measures that remained unfulfilled.
