No taxes on health and medicine, Gonzi pledges

Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi yesterday pledged that health and medicine will never be taxed for as long as he remains in office.

"I've always said that there will not be any taxes on health and medicine... and there will not be taxes for as long as I shall remain Prime Minister," Dr Gonzi told a cheering crowd in Żurrieq that gathered under a marquee near the village church where a discussion programme was held.

The programme was hosted by Claudette Pace who opened the event by announcing that Żurrieq was the first locality where the PN anthem was first played in 1932.

She then asked Dr Gonzi about the comments made by Labour leader Alfred Sant who claimed that he (Dr Gonzi) planned to introduce fees in the health sector.

Dr Gonzi said the Labour Party was lowering the level of politics. Disagreeing over issues was part of politics but Dr Sant had resorted to personal insults and had called him a liar, Dr Gonzi said.

"This is a big sign of desperation by the Labour Party which has nothing else left to cling to."

Over the past four years various proposals had been made with the aim to address the country's deficit - a main aim of the government this legislature. Among such proposals was the removal of stipends or cutting children's allowance but these suggestions were all thrown out.

In December 2004, it had been suggested that the government should introduce fees on medicines and a report on the matter was presented to a Cabinet sub-committee (on social affairs). However, the report was deemed unacceptable and it never even made it to Cabinet level, he insisted.

When Dr Sant was in government between 1996 and 1998 he introduced a 50c payment on each prescription. This had led (former Prime Minister and former Labour leader) Dom Mintoff, then a back bencher, to ask Dr Sant whether he had lost his social wits. Dr Gonzi said he would repeat this comment to Dr Sant and say: "You lost your social wits and have not found them yet".

Politics was not about throwing dirt but about offering solutions and Dr Sant had not offered any, Dr Gonzi said.