Budget that lacks social justice (1)

The 2012 Budget is one which gives more importance to those who are well off to the detriment of those workers and families who are on low income.

For the sake of social justice, Żminijietna – Voice of the Left insists that low-income families should have been protected to minimise the impacts caused by the high energy prices, food and other essential items.

The revision of the tax as proposed excluded a large number of families and individuals, including those who are no longer raising children, and families with a “single wage earner”. The government has once again given no attention to the national minimum wage.

On the other hand, Żminijietna considers positive the increase in children’s allowance, increased benefits to 80-year-old pensioners and the reintroduction of a subsidy home scheme for first-time buyers.

Żminijietna appeals to the government so that the increase in investment in public health translates itself in an improvement in primary health care, in terms of service and opening hours. The dentistry service in the community should be reintroduced.

We hope that the proposal for increase in maternity leave comes into effect in a short period of time, and this will not find any obstacles in the Malta Council for Social and Economic Development.

The Budget does nothing to create a “green society” and is in fact a step backwards from this aspiration. The government has also failed to address the problem of precarious employment and to introduce fiscal measures to incentivise the creation of “green jobs”. Without these tax incentives we cannot expect the manufacturing industry to move in this direction.

The government has once again chosen to reward, through tax incentives, those families who chose to send their children to private schools, while children attending public schools, at secondary level, are asked to pay for an opt out “white collar” vocational subject in the field of tourism, IT, business etc.

Also, “blue collar” vocational subjects in the field of craft are absent from school, to the detriment of all those students who do not succeed at at academic level. These students are leaving school (early school leavers) without any skills.