AD – The Green Party is satisfied that finally government has opened its eyes on the need to tackle head on the problem of empty properties and introduce measures for these properties to be put on the market. AD Chairperson Carmel Cacopardo said in the party’s first reaction to this evening’s budget speech.
In this sector, Government is finally heeding AD’s long standing proposals. However we cannot fail to note that Government is postponing the necessary and urgent intervention in the private rental market. The market is failing tremendously and state intervention is absolutely necessary immediately.
AD agrees that it is the state that must guarantee adequate social housing for those who really need it. We insist that social housing should be provided together with focused services to people who need help putting their lives and that of their families on a sound footing.
The country’s financial surplus shows that there is a willingness to balance public revenue and expenditure after many years of neglect. But we cannot but ask about the contribution to this surplus of tax paid by so-called letterbox companies. The strengthening of laws against tax evasion in other countries, whatever the Maltese Government wants and thinks, will certainly affect such income in the near future. This is income derived from evasion of taxes in other countries. These countries are already working to tackle this issue. The budget speech ignore this fact.
While the agreement on the minimum wage is positive, substantial improvements to make the minimum wage a decent wage are needed. The reality remains that persons earning the minimum wage working still live at risk of poverty.
Despite the boasting about the increase in the number of tourists and the competitiveness of this sector, the reality is that many workers in this sector have working poor conditions, and infrastructure and services are not coping with influx of tourists. This sector is notorious for the number of workers on zero hours contracts, an issue which the budget speech ignores completely.
The Government’s policy of increasing the capacity of existing roads, with the construction of flyovers and tunnels, while addressing congestion in the short term will lead to increased traffic on our roads. The government is acting like an overweight person who ‘solves’ his expanding waistline by changing his wardrobe instead of going on a diet. Although the Minister of Finance seems to have realised that the road building policy will not solve the problem, Government is ironically failing to act effectively other than promising more ‘road upgrades’. This only postpones the problem and doesn’t solve anything.
Government is afraid to be decisive. Its policies, a continuation of the previous Government’s policy, will further increase air pollution and respiratory diseases. AD emphasises serious and immediate policy initiatives to incentivise cleaner modes of transport, priority to public transport on our roads and infrastructure and facilities for safe commuting by bicycles and pedelecs. The incentives for bicycles and electric bicycles are important and a leap forward, but we insist that “bicycle highways” along bypasses and road safety are essential to make people feel more comfortable using roads for commuting by bicycle and pedelecs. These policies are not only more effective and environmentally friendly but deliver value for money for the expenditure incurred. Studies on obvious things, such as school transport, is a waste of time. It is time for decisions.
In every budget afforestation is mentioned and token measures announced. In the meantime instead of lining streets with trees and increasing space for trees in urban areas, trees are felled in the useless exercise to make space for more traffic and increase pollution.
The move to introduce a deposit system of plastic beverage containers is a positive step. Such a proposal was made in 2004 but the government of the day backtracked after opposition from the GRTU. Malta needs such a scheme urgently, and we expect more details about the scheme so that we can assess how effective it will be in increasing recycling rates. AD expects that the waste problem, including the reduction of waste, is tackled with an immediate effect and a holistic approach. Short-cuts that do away with the concept of reducing and recycling waste are unacceptable. The Government should admit that is has failed in waste management. Its plan to build an incinerator to burn 40% of waste is testament to its utter failure. Incineration of waste should be the last resort for waste that absolutely cannot be reduced or recycled. AD is willing to give its contribution to any effort for a serious waste management plan and its implementation.
With regards to renewable energy it appears that Government is aiming only for the minimum possible. It has still not realised that this is a sector in which jobs can be created and that our country can be at the forefront of new and advanced technology in this field. It is essential that the distribution system and energy grid is strengthened. The strengthening of this system will make it possible for a much greater share of renewable energy to be used. It reamins our aim to make Malta a ‘net zero carbon’ economy by 2050.
Alternattiva Demokratika will comment and make proposals on various issues mentioned in the budget speech in the coming few weeks.
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Budget 2018 – il-Gvern jiftaħ għajnejh dwar il-bini vojt, u għadu qed jittewweb dwar it-traffiku u t-tniġġis
Alternattiva Demokratika hi sodisfatta li fl-aħħar il-Gvern fetaħ għajnejh beraħ dwar il-ħtieġa li jattakka b’mod qawwi l-propjeta’ vojta u dan b’miżuri li jħeġġeġ din il-propjeta’ tidħol lura fis-suq. Dan qalu Carmel Cacopardo Chairperson ta’ Alternattiva Demokratika fl-ewwel reazzjoni għad-diskors tal-budget illejla.
F’das-settur il-Gvern, fl-aħħar qiegħed jagħti widen għall-proposti li AD ilha tagħmel għal żmien twil. Il-Gvern iżda qed jipposponi l-intervent neċessarju fis-suq privat tal-kera. Is-suq qed ifalli bil-kbir u intervent tal-istat huwa assolutament neċessarju issa.
Naqblu li huwa l-istat li għandu jiggarantixxi housing soċjali adegwat għal dawk li verament għandhom bżonnu. Il- housing soċjali għandu jkun ipprovdut f’qafas ta’ servizzi iffokati lejn persuni li għandhom bżonn għajnuna biex ipoġġu ħajjithom u dik ta’ familthom fuq sisien sodi.
Is-surplus finanzjarju tal-pajjiz juri li hemm rieda biex il-bilanc bejn id-dhul u l-infieq jiġi kontrollat u dan wara ħafna snin. Iżda nistaqsu x’inhu l-kontribut lejn dan is-surplus mit-taxxa li tithallas mill-kumpaniji hekk imsejħa ‘letterbox companies’? It-tisħiħ ta’ liġijiet kontra l-evazjoni tat-taxxa f’pajjiżi oħra, irid jew ma jridx il-Gvern Malti, żgur li se jaffettwa tali dħul fil-viċin qarib. Dan huwa dħul minn evazjoni ta’ taxxi ta’ pajjiżi oħra u huwa vit li se jingħalaq ma jdumx. Id-diskors tal-budget jinjora dan il-fatt.
Filwaqt li l-ftehim dwar il-paga minima beda jtħaddem, hemm bżonn titjib sostanzjali għax ir-realta’ tibqa’ li min jaqla’ l-paga minima qed jaħdem iżda xorta waħda jgħix fid-dell tal-faqar.
Minkejja l-ftaħir superfiċjali taż-żieda fin-numru ta’ turisti u l-kompetittivita’ f’dal-qasam hemm realta’ ta’ ħaddiema li qed jaħdmu b’kundizzjonijiet ħżiena, kif ukoll infrastruttura u servizzi li mhux qed ilaħħqu mal-piż tat-turiżmu tal-massa. Dan hu qasam fejn hemm kwantita’ ta’ ħaddiema b’dak li hu magħruf bhala zero hours contract, materja li id-diskors tal-budget tinjora kompletament.
Il-politika tal-Gvern ta’ żieda fil-kapaċita’ ta’ toroq eżistenti, bil-bini ta’ flyovers u mini filwaqt li tindirizza fl-immedjat il-konġestjoni twassal għal żieda fit-traffiku fit-toroq tagħna. Il-Gvern qed jaġixxi bħal dik il-persuna li għandha piż żejjed u twessa’ ħwejjiġha biex ‘issolvi’ l-problema flok ma tikkonsidra bis-serjeta l-ħtiega tad-dieta. Għalkemm il-Ministru tal-Finanzi jidher minn kliemu li irrealizza li l-politika tal-bini tat-toroq mhux se ssolvi l-problema ironikament m’hu se jagħmel xejn effettiv għajr ‘upgrades’ fit-toroq. Dan hu biss żejt fil-bażwa u ma jsolvi xejn.
F’dan il-qasam il-Gvern qed jibża jkun deċisiv. Bil-politika tiegħu, li hija tkomplija tal-politika tal-Gvern precedenti wkoll, ser ikompli jżid it-tniġġis tal-arja u l-mard respiratorju. AD tisħaq fuq politika serja u immedjata li tinċentiva mezzi nodfa ta’ trasport, trasport pubbliku li jingħata prijorita’ fit-toroq u faċilitajiet u fuq kollox infrastruttura sikura għar-roti u roti elettriċi. L-inċentivi fuq ir-roti u r-roti elettriċi huma importanti u qabża kbira ‘l quddiem, iżda ninsistu li ‘bicycle highways’ tul l-bypasses u sigurta’ fit-toroq huma essenzjali biex aktar nies iħossuhom komdi jużaw it-toroq bir-roti u l-pedelecs għall-commuting. Din mhux biss tkun politika iktar effettiva ambjentalment imma tagħti valur għall-flus għall-infieq li jsir. Bl-istudji fuq affarijiet ovvji, bħat-trasport tal-iskejjel, m’hu se naslu mkien. Hu l-mument tad-deċiżjoinijiet mhux tal-istudji.
Kull budget nisimgħu fuq afforestazzjoni u budget wara budget nibqgħu fejn qegħdin, b’miżuri fjakki biex taparsi jkun sar xi ħaġa. Fit-toroq minflok isir spazju għas-siġar, qed jitqaċċtu s-siġar għal aktar spazju għal aktar u aktar traffiku.
Il-pass li tiddaħħal sistema ta’ depożitu fuq kontenituri tax-xorb tal-plastik huwa pass pożittiv. Hi proposta li kienet saret fl-2004 imma l-Gvern ta’ dakinhar beża’ minħabba l-oppożizzjoni tal-GRTU. Hi meħtieġa b’urġenza: għalhekk nistennew aktar dettalji dwar l-iskema biex inkunu nistgħu naraw kemm se tkun effettiva.
AD tistenna li l-problema tal-iskart – inkluż it-tnaqqis tiegħu għandha tiġi iffaċċjata malajr, bi ħsieb u b’mod ħolistiku. ‘Short-cuts’ li jnaqqsu r-riċiklaġġ mhux aċċettabbli. Il-Gvern qed jammetti li falla fl-immaniġġjar tal-iskart u jrid jibni inċeneratur għal ammont kbir ta’ skart minflok jara kif inaqqas l-iskart u jżid ir-riċiklaġġ. Inċineratur għall-iskart għandu jkun l-aħħar soluzzjoni għal skart li assolutament ma jistax jitnaqqas jew jiġi riċiklat. AD hi disposta li taghti l-kontribut tagħha f’dan l-isforz.
Fir-rigward tal-enerġija rinovabbli jidher li l-Gvern qed jimmira biss għall-minimu. Ma irrealizzax li pajjiżna jista’ joħloq x-xogħol u jkun fuq quddiem f’teknoloġija avvanzata f’dan il-qasam. Hemm bżonn investiment fis-sistema tad-distribuzzjoni tal-elettriku. It-tisħiħ ta’ din is-sistema huwa essenzjali biex tiżdied l-enerġija rinovabbli. Il-mira ta’ Malta għandha tkun ta’ ‘net zero carbon’ sas-sena 2050.
Alternattiva Demokratika se tkompli tanalizza l-budget fil-jiem u ġimgħat li ġejjin.
