Robert Abela and Alex Borg appear to be engaged in a dangerous competition to outbid each other with policies that undermine Malta’s public finances while favouring the wealthy. Instead of competing in populist promises that risk bankrupting the country, political leaders should focus on responsible economic management and fairness for all. Malta deserves a tax system that supports pensioners in need while ensuring that those with high incomes contribute their fair share.
ADPD-The Green Party’s Chairperson Sandra Gauci referred to the government’s tax exemption on pensions of up to €37,000. This disproportionately benefits those with very high pensions, including former ministers, former MEPs and individuals who accumulated substantial private pension schemes during their careers. This is regressive and an insult to workers who struggle to achieve minimum pension rights.
“At present, workers in Malta start paying income tax at rates that can reach 25% on income slightly above €16,000, and 35% on income over and above €60,000. Yet the government is proposing that pension income up to around €37,000 be taxed at zero. This means that individuals with large pensions could pay no tax at all, while workers earning significantly less continue to pay income tax.”
“Instead of promising to correct this imbalance, the Nationalist Party has now gone even further. Alex Borg has proposed that all pensioners should be exempt from tax on all their income, up to €37,000, regardless of the source of their income and the capital accumulated. Those with hundreds of thousands of Euros of accumulated capital will be favoured.”
This proposal is extremely insulting and regressive. It would create two completely different categories of people in society. Those who work and pay income tax according to their income, and those with the same or even higher income who pay absolutely nothing simply because they are pensioners. This is neither fair nor socially just. Workers would once again be penalised, while individuals with very high incomes would be exempt from paying any type of tax on income. Such policies also shift the burden onto younger and future generations, who will have to sustain public finances that are increasingly weakened by irresponsible tax giveaways. PL and PN favour the rich over workers. It is pertinent to underline that with all these tax giveaways the national debt has surpassed the 11 billion Euro mark. It is future generations which will have to foot the bill.
ADPD – The Green Party believes that social justice requires a fair and progressive tax system where everyone contributes according to their ability, regardless of whether income comes from work, pensions or investments. ADPD-The Green Party will do its best, at all times, to correct the imbalances which Labour is creating and PN acquiescing to.
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Dħul għoli mingħajr taxxa: proposti rigressivi li jiffavorixxu lis-sinjuri u jitfgħu piż fuq il-ġenerazzjonijiet futuri
Robert Abela u Alex Borg jinsabu f’kompetizzjoni perikoluża bejniethom biex jaraw min jista’ joffri aktar proposti li jdgħajfu l-finanzi pubbliċi ta’ Malta filwaqt li jiffavorixxu lil min għandu dħul tajjeb. Minflok jikkompetu f’wegħdiet li jwasslu biex il-pajjiż ifalli, għandhom jiffokaw fuq tmexxija ekonomika responsabbli u fuq il-ġustizzja soċjali u fiskali. Malta jistħoqqilha sistema ta’ tassazzjoni li tappoġġja lill-pensjonanti li verament għandhom bżonn, filwaqt li tiżgura li dawk li għandhom dħul għoli jħallsu s-sehem ġust tagħhom bħal ma jagħmlu l-ħaddiema.
Iċ-Chairperson ta’ ADPD-The Green Party, Sandra Gauci, irreferiet għall-eżenzjoni mit-taxxa fuq pensjonijiet sa €37,000 li introduċa l-gvern. Din il-miżura tiffavorixxi b’mod sproporzjonat lil dawk li għandhom pensjonijiet għoljin ħafna, fosthom eks-ministri, eks-MEPs u persuni li tul il-karriera tagħhom akkumulaw pensjonijiet privati sostanzjali. Din hija miżura rigressiva u insult għal dawk il-ħaddiema li qed jitħabtu biex jiksbu d-dritt għal pensjoni sura. Dawk b’mijiet ta’ eluf f’kapital akkumulat se jiġu vantaġġjati.
“Bħalissa, il-ħaddiema f’Malta jibdew iħallsu income tax b’rati li jistgħu jilħqu sa 25% fuq dħul ftit aktar minn €16,000, u sa 35% fuq dħul ogħla minn €60,000. Madankollu l-gvern qed jipproponi li fuq dħul mill-pensjoni sa madwar €37,000 ma titħallas l-ebda taxxa. Dan ifisser li individwi b’pensjonijiet kbar ma jħallsu l-ebda taxxa, waqt li ħaddiema li jaqilgħu ferm inqas jibqgħu jħallsu t-taxxa tad-dħul.”
“Minflok iwiegħed li jikkoreġi dan l-iżbilanċ, il-Partit Nazzjonalista mar pass oltre. Alex Borg ippropona li l-pensjonanti kollha ma jħallsu l-ebda taxxa fuq id-dħul kollu tagħhom sa €37,000, ikun minn fejn ikun ġej avolja ikollhom ammont għoli ta’ kapital.”
Din il-proposta hija insult u waħda rigressiva. Toħloq żewġ kategoriji kompletament differenti ta’ nies fis-soċjetà: dawk li jaħdmu u jħallsu t-taxxa tad-dħul skont kemm jaqilgħu, u dawk li għandhom l-istess dħul jew saħansitra aktar iżda ma jħallsu xejn sempliċement għax huma pensjonanti. Dan la huwa ġust mil-lat ekonomku u lanqas soċjalment ġust. Il-ħaddiema qed jiġu penalizzati sempliċiment għax jaħdmu, filwaqt li individwi oħra bi dħul għoli ħafna jkunu eżentati milli jħallsu kwalunkwe tip ta’ taxxa fuq id-dħul.
Din hija politika li titfa’ piż fuq il-ġenerazzjonijiet żgħażagħ u dawk futuri, li se jkollhom jaraw kif isostnu l-finanzi pubbliċi li qed jiddgħajfu dejjem aktar minħabba dawn ir-rigali lil min għandu dħul biex jgħix komdu. Il-PL u l-PN qed jiffavorixxu lis-sinjuri fuq il-ħaddiema. Ta’ min jenfasizza wkoll li b’dawn ir-’rigali’ kollha d-dejn nazzjonali diġà qabeż il-€11-il biljun. Se jkunu l-ġenerazzjonijiet futuri li se jkollhom iħallsu l-kont.
ADPD-The Green Party temmen li l-ġustizzja soċjali teħtieġ sistema ta’ tassazzjoni ġusta u progressiva fejn kulħadd jikkontribwixxi skont il-kapaċità tiegħu, irrispettivament jekk id-dħul ġejx mix-xogħol, mill-pensjonijiet jew minn investimenti. ADPD-The Green Party se tagħmel minn kollox, f’kull ħin, biex tikkoreġi l-iżbilanċi li l-Partit Laburista qed joħloq u li l-Partit Nazzjonalista qed jaċċetta u jikkopja.
