Carmel Cacopardo, Chairperson ta’ ADPD, fl-ewwel kummenti tal-partit dwar il-Baġit 2022 qal li parti sostanzjali mill-budget hu elenku ta’ benefiċċji uħud ġodda u oħrajn kontinwazzjoni minn snin passati.

Qal li l-baġit imma fih numru ta’ kontradizzjonijiet. “Tajjeb li l-Gvern se jinvesti sewwa fi proġett ta’ afforestazzjoni fl-Inwadar limiti ta’ Marsaskala, ħdejn żona li ftit ilu l-Gvern ried jiżviluppa f’Università. Il-Gvern ġie sfurzat mill-opinjoni pubblika jibdel dawn il-pjanijiet. B’id waħda l-Gvern se jinkoraġixxi l-afforestazzjoni imma mbagħad bl-id l-oħra qed jippjana li jieħu l-bajja ta’ Marsaskala biex jikkonvertiha f’yacht marina.”

“Tajjeb li jkun hemm ippjanat investiment fiż-żoni industrijali, kif isir kull sena. Imma mbagħad ma jagħmilx sens li art għall-industrija, li hi skarsa tittieħed għat-tlielaq tal-karozzi kif se jiġri Ħal Far.”

“Tajjeb li tħabbru diversi miżuri ta’ għajnuna għall-bdiewa, imma allura għax ma ħsibniex fihom ukoll meta ġew ippjanati toroq minn ġo nofs raba li tinħadem f’Ħ’Attard? Il-bdiewa irridu nagħtu kashom dejjem mhux lejlet l-elezzjoni!”

“Dan il-baġit, filwaqt li joffri diversi benefiċċji ma jindirizzax direttament il-problema pendenti ta’ paga minima diċenti. L-istudji repetuti tal-Caritas juru li l-paga minima trid tiżdied sostanzjalment biex tkun paga li biha tista’ tgħix b’mod diċenti. Matul is-sena l-Unjoni Ewropeja bdiet konsultazzjoni dwar Direttiva li tistabilixxi mod uniformi li bih għandha tkun ikkalkulata l-paga minima fl-UE. Analiżi ta’ din id-Direttiva twassal għal konklużjonijiet simili li waslet għalihom il-Caritas f’Malta. Il-paga minima teħtieġ li togħla b’mod sostanzjali. Il-Gvern Malti qed jopponi dan kollu.”

“Jekk il-Gvern jemmen dak li qed jipprietka għandu jibdel ir-rotta u jara li l-paga minima tkun waħda li tista’ tgħix biha b’mod diċenti. Għal darba oħra l-baġit naqas milli jagħmel dan.”

“Fl-aħħarnett nieħu pjaċir bid-dikjarazzjoni tal-Ministru li mhux se jittollera tnikkir fil-ħlas tat-taxxi. Nittama li jagħti l-eżempju u jibda mill-kumpaniji tal-Partit Laburista u l-Partit Nazzjonalista li għandhom il-miljuni f’arretrati. Imbagħad forsi nibdew nemmnuh!”

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Budget 2022 – The minimum wage issue: unsolved

ADPD Chairperson Carmel Cacopardo, in the party’s first comments on the 2022 Budget said that a substantial part of the budget is a list of benefits, some new and others a continuation of those already announced in past years.

He said that the Budget, however, contains a number of contradictions. “It is good that the Government will invest heavily in an afforestation project in the Inwadar Park limits of Marsaskala, an area that the Government recently wanted to develop into a University. The Government has been forced by public opinion to change these plans. On the one hand however, Government will encourage afforestation but on the other it plans to ruin Marsaskala Bay by converting it into a yacht marina.”

“It is all well and good to plan improvements in industrial areas, something which is referred to year on year. But it doesn’t make sense for the scarce industrial land in Ħal Far to be taken up for car racing.”

“It is good that various measures have been announced to aid farmers, but then why didn’t Government also help farmers when roads were planned in farmland in Attard? Are farmers only ‘helped’ on the eve of an election?”

“This Budget, while offering various benefits, does not directly address the outstanding problem of a decent minimum wage. Repeated Caritas studies show that the minimum wage must be substantially increased to become a decent living wage which lifts people out of poverty. Earlier this year the European Union launched a draft Directive for consultation on establishing a uniform way in which the minimum wage should be calculated throughout the Union. An analysis of this Directive leads to similar conclusions reached by Caritas in Malta. The minimum wage needs to rise substantially. The Maltese Government is opposing all this.”

“If the government believes what it says it should change course and see to it that the minimum wage is one on which people can live decently. Once again, the budget has failed to solve the issue of the working-poor.”

“Finally, we are pleased that the Minister for Finance said that he will not tolerate delays in the payment of taxes. Is he going to lead by example and start by ensuring that the Labour Party’s and the Nationalist Party’s private companies, which have millions of Euros in arrears pay their dues? Can we really and truly believe him when says that he will not tolerate delays from anyone?”