State health, education to remain free - PM

Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said yesterday that state education and health services would continue to be provided for free.

Dr Gonzi was reacting to interventions during a pre-budget consultation meeting held at the Gozo Ministry in Victoria.

The Prime Minister said he wanted to quell rumours that such services would no longer be offered for free. "There are maladies that no one can afford treatment for, irrespective of how well-off one is. The government would continue to offer free health and education services," he said.

Changes in the tax bands announced in the last budget, through which the government left Lm12 million in taxpayers' pockets, have led to increased government revenue in the first four months of the year. Dr Gonzi did not quantify the increase saying it was "a lot more".

The government wanted to implement a policy of positive discrimination for Gozo by encouraging investment in the sister island by giving investors a little more than it was offering those in Malta.

Many suggestions were made from the floor, a number of which dealt with financial matters. It was proposed, among other things, that the incentives to the tourism sector should be extended to the manufacturing sector too.

Some opined that the time was ripe for adjusting tax bands to assist those creating wealth.

Entrepreneur John Magro said Gozo "had acquired certain tools on EU membership but these were not being used". He was referring to a special report that could have been drawn up to show that Gozo stood at a disadvantage compared to Malta and could thus benefit from more EU funds.

Mr Magro said bureaucracy was stifling business and though a lot of progress had been made, schemes announced by the government took a long time to materialise.

He lamented the fact that while there were 18 vacancies in his firm, he could not find enough people to work at his factory because Gozitans wanted jobs in the public sector or work without a workbook. As soon as the government announced it would be engaging clerks in the public sector, some Gozitans started leaving the private sector to register for work in the hope of getting employed as civil servants, Mr Magro said.

Michael Caruana, from the Gozo Business Chamber, said there were problems with the transport of merchandise from Gozo to Malta. The Gozo Channel ferry company was trying to find a solution, but because of the refitting of the ferries, the company could face problems in providing the service.

He suggested a study to identify where extensions to yacht marinas could take place. One could easily create space for 800 yachts, and these would lead to a lot of spin offs.

On the other hand, an airstrip was "a necessity", Dr Caruana said.

Joe Muscat, from the Gozo Tourism Association, proposed the setting up of an agency to promote and sell tourism, industry and local artisan products.

He suggested the listing of Ramla Bay as a blue flag beach.

Several speakers called for the setting up of a call centre. Others suggested that the Notte Gozitana, scheduled for this weekend, would be placed on the calendar of cultural events. One complained that the industrial zone for the small self-employed had still not been built. Some speakers said it was high time Gozo was represented both on the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development and in Brussels. Another suggested that the fees paid for building permits should be used for embellishment and that a land reclamation project be undertaken and the land used for the generation of alternative energy.