Home-grown ideas

I thought it was interesting to read that the British High Commission would sponsor a workshop to help stamp out abuse of sick leave here in Malta when at home such abuse is rampant.

On the same day, The Daily Mail carried an article showing that 900,000 people on incapacity benefits are actually obese and mostly their inability to work is directly related to obesity. This is costing the British taxpayer £3.7 billion each year.

In the same issue, another article focuses on the army's inability to discipline immigrant soldiers (most of whom later turn out to be married and, consequently, bring in their families) that the British have had to recruit due to dwindling local recruitment.

Various other reports in the same paper condemn the British government for paying over the odds for temporary clerical work, imposing local taxes due to the inability to cope with rising costs and reluctance to increase council charges and inability to cope with illegal immigrants (all of whom are receiving benefits) - in fact, most claims forms are actually printed in foreign languages, Urdu being, I believe, the most prevalent.

Now I do believe that British High Commissioner Vincent Fean is acting with the best of intentions and I admire him for what he does here in Malta. However, when are we Maltese going to realise that the answers to our problems lie with ourselves and taking advice from institutions that cannot keep their own house in order is not necessarily the answer? Each and every country has its own problems and each and every people must find their own way out.

We have many capable local minds if only we take heed and actually implement those ideas without bogging them down in bureaucracy.

Maltese taxpayers are currently contributing to British insurance companies' bottom line and foreign investment is being assisted in exporting as much of their profits as possible while local entrepreneurs are not able to get a foot in the door. There are many local companies/ideas which could be a success with the same benefits without the mass profit exportation sanctioned here.

Our population has one of the highest rates of savings in Europe and this is because of the lack of incentive for local investment except in property and even that has recently been inflated.

Lower taxes, get the money moving, the more it moves, the more often it is taxed. Allow overtime at lower rates (17 per cent as it once was back in the summer of 1999) and deliver those promises of tax deductions on private healthcare and education.

We Maltese have a penchant for enjoying ourselves and for spending (see the average number of cars per family and the percentage of our family budget for entertainment and the number of home owners as compared to elsewhere), so let us spend and we will contribute to society.