Crack down on fraudsters

Officially, 30,000 'needy' families are exempted from paying the electricity surcharge and are being financially supported, one way or another, to pay for utilities and services.

I will not question the moral responsibility we all have towards those who need social assistance. Indeed, as Christians, we are duty bound to help those who are less fortunate, those who are deprived of the most basic necessities and hence cannot afford a decent living.

What I would like to challenge is the number itself - 30,000. I believe there are about 150,000 families in Malta. It is highly improbable that 20 per cent of these cannot make an effort, like most Maltese do, and pay for, among others, the water and electricity services they receive.

I understand that, in fact, a substantial number of these 30,000 families qualify for these subsidies. But I am quite certain that some of these 30,000 families are frauds. They are simply taking advantage of the fact that both the government and opposition are failing to question and scrutinise the false information these families hand in when they apply to qualify for the exemptions, benefits, and subsidies.

What kind of means test is being applied to determine who qualifies and who doesn't? It is high time that fine-tuning monitoring is applied regularly, and that this is frequently revised to crack down on abusers.

It is simply unjust and irresponsible, to say the least, to keep burdening the middle class with added taxes and charges. Besides, we have always been taught we should discourage abuse and deceit.

Should not a list of these families be published for the benefit of the public? I am sure that genuine beneficiaries would not mind this. Only fraudulent parasites would object.