Government promoting the family - PM

GiovDeMartino

Sep 10th 2009, 11:48

Where are you Messrs Sammut and Cuningham?

GiovDeMartino@C Sammut

Sep 7th 2009, 11:14

You have a good salary and yet you can't make both ends meet. IT ALL DEPENDS on what you mean by "making both ends meet" I have several friends who spent 100, 200, 300 and more euros monthly on CIGARETTES. They want to eat out at least once a week, they pay regular visits abroad, they have a car for the husband and another for his wife. They switch on their air conditioner for the greater part of the day and night...they hardly miss a concert and they buy the most expensive gadgets for themselves and the most expensive toys for their offspring...biex ma jkunux aghar minn ta' l-ohrajn....Eh ruhi....sacrifices are part and parcel of our life...

m farrugia

Sep 6th 2009, 20:03

It is useless moaning that today mothers cannot afford not to work due to high cost of living - mothers work in much richer countries such as Scandinavia, and after all it is healthy both for mothers and children who mix up early with other children. What is needed is a health work-family life balance.

With some good will from private and church schools and the private sector, this is very possible.

m farrugia

Sep 6th 2009, 20:02

any incentives to promote family-work life balances were taken by the govt.

one year tax free to working mothers returning to work after the birth of a child, opening of new childcare centres, tax rebates to families sending children to private schools and childcare centres, and now the new after school hour and holiday child caring services at govt schools to be introduced soon.

govt employees may avail themselves of long unpaid parental leave which sometimes even extends to 5 years, reduced hours, teleworking etc.

and the private sector and church and private schools still think that we are living in the 1970's -no concessions for working mothers such as longer unpaid parental leave, reduced hours or teleworking are offered even though these are technically possible if there's some will from management and employers.
And schools and teachers still persist in sending children home at 1pm and availing themselves of months of holiday to the detriment of working mothers.


Keep it up Dr Gonzi, the govt is leading by example, it is about time schools and the private sector follow suit.

GiovDeMartino@AG Cunningham

Sep 6th 2009, 19:49

Min m'Ghandux qatra zejt u min ghandu biex ibiegh qalilna s-sur Cunnungham. INT, SUR CUNningham, ma min tghodd ruhek?

C.Sammut

Sep 6th 2009, 19:45

I have a good salary yet am struggling to make ends meet. I keep hearing about family arguments because they are in the same predicament. Mr Prime Minister perhaps you did not do your homework right when you thought EU membership would grant us a better standard of living. At the moment such standards are getting increasingly out of reach because we simply can't afford them!

m farrugia

Sep 6th 2009, 19:25

@tony caruana

if spring hunting is the pillar of Maltese families, mela vera mghandna xejn malta

A. Brincat

Sep 6th 2009, 19:20

Is it the promotion of public debt per capita what he meant? Euro 9,000 per person. What a future for our children! The tragedy is that there is slim chance we can begin reducing the debt. The point of no return of Euro 3.5 billion has been long surpassed.

A.Gauci Cunningham

Sep 6th 2009, 19:03

..contd........and probably those young people who were there aplauded and cheered to Gonzi's fine words completely oblivious of the fact that this promise was twisted and thwarted to suit the "bite the bullet" attitude that started exactly after the election "l-aqwa li Gonzi fil-gvern hux"

A.Gauci Cunningham

Sep 6th 2009, 19:01

"Dr Gonzi said a clear example was the incentive through which mothers who returned to work after giving birth and bringing up chidlren would not pay income tax for a year."

Yes Dr.Gonzi the above is a clear example, a clear example of how the PN lied to the people and cheated them out of their own money. Why?? Because the above is what the PN promised BEFORE the election, what the govt. delivered was quite different. AFTER the election the government put a ceiling as to by how much women may be exempt from paying the Income tax. I am not writing the amount as I'm not 100% sure what the "ceiling" agreed behind the families' back was.

Min m'ghandux qatra zejt u min ghandu biex ibigh!!!

Paul Camilleri

Sep 6th 2009, 18:18

I do not know about what promotion he is talking about when even within different Ministries there is a different application of family friendly measures, some of them are of a minimal expense to the government, such as working from home for certain job types.

Tony Caruana

Sep 6th 2009, 17:47

just remember Dr Gonzi how many families you have destroyed by false promises on spring Hunting.

We will never forfive the PN

Mark Piscopo

Sep 6th 2009, 17:38

Everyone knows that currently in Malta is very difficult to make ends meet. With the drastic increase in utility bills , prices of gas cylinders, fuel, licenses and with the highest cost of living of all European countries. Nowadays our wages will vanish as soon as it enters in our bank account with all these expenses.

joseph sammut

Sep 6th 2009, 17:28

bil kontijiet ta dawl ,viva il familja

Vincent Galea

Sep 6th 2009, 17:19

The miraculous progress of medical science and technology has revolutionized our lives. We can now live more comfortable than in the past. .
Against a background of comfort, however ........discomfort is more likely to be felt.
If the purpose of to-day's life is to achieve maximum comfort....... then every little discomfort can become a major problem.
We are the beneficiaries of unprecedented conveniences in living thanks to our past and present governments
This is indeed wonderful.
However this is leading to an attitude that no one should have to tolerate any inconvenience at all.
Renewing our commitment to the ideals. standards and morals of the family life style seems to enhance our families and community.
Fostering the family unit must be a top priority in our lives.
We must never lose sight of this ' family ' value.

Alexander Azzopardi

Sep 6th 2009, 17:19

heh promoting the family
ahjar tara kemm qed taghbijom b kontijet
li tant ikolom stress li ma jlehqux mal kontijiet li jispicaw jiseparaw

halina qas taf min fejn ha taqbad tibda

maria curmi

Sep 6th 2009, 17:06

Dr Gonzi bil haqq tinsix qabel lelezjon kont attilna li ha tnehi it -taxxa mil fuq il credit cards liktar li juzawa Zghazagh u licenzja tal PBS

S. Cutajar

Sep 6th 2009, 16:57

Promoting the family my foot Dr. Gonzi!!

By approving social benefits to unmarried mothers and leaving ADT, MEPA, VAT and the Finance Departments in a huge mess for example. Taxing the law abiding citizens heavily is a sin and creating tax amnesties and parole for prison inmates is another. By sliding away from the deficit targets and managing by crisis the housing problem you confirmed to us that this country is fast deteriorating.

You are fast destroying all the family values Dr. Gonzi!!!

A. Briffa

Sep 6th 2009, 16:53

Promoting... xi kont tad-dawl - taf x'nixgħelu bil-bozoz bħalissa - qisna christmas tree !

Joseph Buttigieg Attard

Sep 6th 2009, 16:28

YES, PROMOTING THE FAMILY - THE PN INNER CIRCLE. KOLLOX GHALIHOM! VIVA L-FAMILJA, HBIEB TAL-HBIEB!

Galea. L

Sep 6th 2009, 16:27

Lanqas żejt f'wiċċek ma baqgħalek Gonzi.

Stephen Grech

Sep 6th 2009, 15:50

One has truly to be a lawyer and politician to come up with this reasoning on how to promote a family. Playing with words in not the correct way.

peter farrugia

Sep 6th 2009, 15:47

promoting the family ? when a couple to buy their first home has to fork out thousands of euros in non refundable taxes? where is the social soul?

Darren Cassar

Sep 6th 2009, 15:45

It is frightening that people in the level of a PM think that money is an ingredient which promotes the family. Where are the morals which we learned as a christian country.

These incentives only help financially but are of no guarantee to produce stronger families.
And as it is not so clear here, does this incentive only apply to married mothers but also to single ones because if a single mother now is being called a family, we must be really in the lowest levels of decadence.

To be most effective in promoting the family is to work for a society where a mother stays home and takes care of the childrenand house and the father should have a decent enough salary to be the sole bread winner. It is then that the family will operate in harmony and the children gain most when the husband relies on his wife and vice versa obviously in an environment of love and acceptance.

M. Zammit

Sep 6th 2009, 15:42

What the government should promote is committment as a concept. Committment to a family has at it's basis love. We need to be education on what it means to love another. We are constantly bombarded with needs that are eroding the essentials of family life. Family life should be based on a decision to love one another and this also means to make sacrifices, to put the other first.

What is wrong today is the me first attitude that ruins relationships. Few are willing to make sacrifices. We need to go back to basics and put people in our lives first. What is wrong today is that money comes first and the government is also contributing to this attitude by not encouraging women to stay at home because this is not seen as profitable. We are blind to truth and brainwashed by the media as to what values to hold on to.

We need to understand what is good for us by understanding our needs. Humans need a serene family life on which to build their lives.

P Borg

Sep 6th 2009, 15:35

hahaha - another great joke from our pm
"familji" b'single parent bit-tfal taparsi minn "unknown father" jiehdu sponsorships minghand il-gvern f'belli liri f'children's allowance u allowance ohra u l-postijiet al-gvern u s-sussidji tad-dawl u l-ilma
min-naha l-ohra l-familji veri insara jiehdu boqxiex ta' children's allowance, jridu jhallsu l-loans ta' barra minn hawn mal-banek lesti bhal sriep biex jehdulek il-post hekk kif timmissja pagament, jridu jhallsu l-kontijiet balla tad-dawl u l-ilma, u forsi jibqalhom bizzejjed biex jghaddu bil-bare minimum. dik hi l-ghajnuna li jaghti l-gvern lill-familja - hahahaha!!

George Caruana

Sep 6th 2009, 14:51

According to the PN books, what is a "family"? And the incentive is for mothers that are married, single, separated, cohabiting, or it is indifferent to status?

jesmond zammit

Sep 6th 2009, 14:43

ma jisthix ta . min cahhad lit tfal mic children's allowence ghal snin shah? mhux il pn.