Malta sees sharpest EU drop in government debt

Mr Joe Borg

Feb 6th, 18:52

Are you serious!??

Just try to imagine us not in the EU and out of the euro zone, and without the funding we got from the EU. We would still look like we're still in the stone age.

Alfred Sant kien l-ahar leader li-dan il-pajjiz qatt kellu, u huwa ix-xempju ta kif politiku ikun ikkakmat mas-sigu tal-poter wara li tilef tlett elezjonijiet u referendum. Hammar wicc il-partit laburista.

Kemm int maqtuh mir-rejalta siehbi.

Edward Curmi

Feb 7th, 15:19

Yes in fact if we didnt join the EU we would be "the third world country of Europe" I am sure you enjoy driving through new roads all constructed with EU funds or walking past a restored monument thanks to Eu funds!!

Hossam Helwani

Feb 6th, 17:35

@ pat muscat

once you squeel like a parrot , you need to sit down and jot some figures.

Lejber left office in 1987 with a 7000 worker employed irregularly overnight as a pre election twist.

The Nationalist Government had to burden these irregular workers and placing them not to cause any unnecessary hardships.
When the Nationalist Government started to Govern They found a dockyars sucking off revenue without paying of taxes and national contributions.

We had no power station, we had no proper colleges to educate nurses doctors engineers Mcast housing, Hospital , single mothers schemes,

The Nationalist Government inheritied a country without any infrastructure , everything on bulk buying, we had no telephone systems, everything was bought second hand from third world countries,

Now our quality of life is 100000000000000% better than in 1987 and if one had to compare why there is debt in the country just ask the countles of fabriki parastatali that the Government had to out phase to stop the workforce from doing nothing.

Today Malta is employed with one of the least unemployment rate within the EU and lejber cant admit the fact that we eat well we live well and our standard of living is outstanding .

So before you squeel you need to get your facts right.

David Buttigieg

Feb 6th, 18:42

Yes dear pat muscat,

Do you know of any country that manages without taking loans? Do you know what type of country we would be reduced to?

The utter shambles we were in during the 70's and 80's under KMB and Mintoff, that's what!

But then again I know your kind would prefer that, who cares as long as nobody else is allowed to improve their lot!

pat muscat

Feb 7th, 14:46

@ Mr Helwani. You must have lived all your life abroad because everybody knows -except you- that the Delimara Power Station is not paid yet, the Medical School of Malta is one of the oldest Medical Schools in Europe-let alone inaugurated in 1989, whilst free health was introduced by the Labour Party whilst the PN voted against!

Guido Farrugia

Feb 6th, 18:55

At least you managed to convince yourself. Dr. Muscat is defintely convincing. Well Done Mr/Mrs Angus.

pat muscat

Feb 7th, 16:37

Angus Black reminds me of Andrew Borg Cardona always PL bashing, always!

m. borg (slm)

Feb 6th, 16:06

Dan semma kwart tas-sena u mhux is-sena kollha, ghaliex ma tarax l-ewwel zewgt kwarti u l-ahhar kwart ukoll f'daqqa? Vera qiskom boloh tifierhu bix-xejn meta tafu li l-ekonomija hija fi krizi u d-dejn nazzjonalil qabez il-hames biljun ewro u gonzipn falliet bhala sistema.
U mela ma giebx id-dinja fit-tarf, taf min ma jghamielx hekk, min qed ipappija tajjeb, tghid int wiehed minnhom Sur Rizzo.

Mr Andrea Borg

Feb 6th, 14:38

Sour grapes Mr. Gatt!

Brian Gatt

Feb 6th, 16:06

No Mr Borg

I really wish that those figure are true, honestly I wish that Malta had no debts but from what I know there was never an Audit by the EU, my worries Mr Borg (which shuold also be your worries) are that the EU will send over an Audit, they find the figures screwed up and they issue sanctions on us, sanctions that will inevitably be shouldered by us.......

Umbad tell me if these are sour grapes

Karl Abela

Feb 6th, 14:28

And neither to we trust you. thank you.

C Sant

Feb 6th, 15:48

That is why it is compared to GDP - basically it is a level playing field, and one can compare like with like - what is more, Malta's debt is with the Maltese population and not with foreign banks - this is a major difference with the rest of the World.

Hossam Helwani

Feb 6th, 17:37

why bother answering

John Zammit

Feb 6th, 13:31

Choosed? Puppits? Download spell check!

Anthony Castillo

Feb 6th, 14:02

Everybody knows how we was living in those years, we could easily be compared to a third world country and the only word we could hear is to TIE UP THE BELT AS MUCH POSSIBLE THAT WE COULD my friend, it could be that you was to young to remember.

Alfred Dimech

Feb 6th, 14:34

"If these figures means that the Goverment of Malta is performing well in just only 3 months of a year, so how much better performed Labour Govermennt between 1971>1987 where the GDP was hold at 23%?"

No, because the government debt today was achieved while permitting citizens to have a first world standard of living, which considering Malta's lack of resources, is admirable. Moreover, unlike 1971 this was achieved without having to align ourselves with the likes of Ceausescu's Romania, Gaddafi's Libya, and Kim Sung Il's North Korea for gifts.

Of course, the government debt must be reduced, it is far from ideal, and it is no secret that the government haemorrhages money, but I still disagree with your argument.

Yes, Mario Monti was unelected, and is probably a yes-man. However, if he does manage to save Italy from itself and doesn't stay longer than his mandate then I think we should accept that.

R. Abela

Feb 6th, 14:15

In Spain there 64% of population have some sort of Job and another 20% unemployed, in Malta 56% of our population have some sort of Job 'or modern slavery' while another 6% unemployed. To boost our economy and to reach the least worse country in the unemployed figure we need 8% in employed people. Can some magician explains where the other 8% gone?

B Grech

Feb 6th, 13:59

Debt did not decrease, GDP increased during that period to an extent where the GDP to debt ratio decreased.

J Busuttil

Feb 6th, 14:47

@Amante

I await your reply which taxes increased Single or Married ?

Michelle Pirotta

Feb 6th, 15:10

Amante, which tax increase in the past four years?
Income tax came down three times in last four years.
Business tax came down (micro-invest)
tax for parents came down
tax for parents sending children to private schools came down
tax for parents using child care facilities went down
tv licence tax removed
depature tax removed
new car vehicle registration tax heavily decreased (but increased for old cars)
0% vat rate on food and medicine maintained despite eu agreement to increase

Edward Curmi

Feb 6th, 16:06

Ghalhekk taht Pl l-artiklu jkun bill kontra ghax biex JM jghamel il weghdiet kolla ta qabel l-elezzjoni id dejn jisplodi jrid...

J. Debono

Feb 6th, 12:57

Here we go again!! Peter 'anti-GonziPN for whatever the reason' Murray.

Erin Ciantar

Feb 6th, 16:21

You just can't give credit where it's due can you?

Ġ. Agius

Feb 6th, 12:11

It basically means that Dr. Lawrence Gonzi and his brilliant government are doing a brilliant job, something which should by now be expected as the norm from a Nationalist government!!

Philip Hili

Feb 6th, 12:28

While being tempted to agree with what you have stated, I see no point to do this because the gist of this report says:- "Malta recorded the sharpest DROP in government debt in the EU during the third quarter of last year, Eurostat figures issued today show."

ALBERT FENECH

Feb 6th, 12:30

With so much "brilliance" around - according to G. Agius - let's have a snap General Election in March and put this "brilliance" to the test. A refusal to hold an immediate GE is tantamount to saying "we are a brilliant football team but we never consider playing any matches because we are so brilliant"....and Mr Galea Debono is correct, a lot of statistics and matheical jargon, always sure to fool and baffle almost anybody. The real proof of statistics and jargon is how much money do people have in their pockets, how much do they owe and the balance of their bank account.

ALBERT FENECH

Peter Murray

Feb 6th, 12:34

You should be earning a living as a comedian and hanks for bringing laughter into my dull day.For , as with Gonzi ,people are laughing at you-but not for long!

Leonard Brincat

Feb 6th, 12:46

Mr Agius,

Brilliant ghax idejjen 4.5 Biljuni. Mela qed titlef habib.

@ Sur Galea
Ghandek ragun habib hawwadni ha nhawdek

DamianPaul Cassar

Feb 6th, 12:51

This ratio is the amount of government debt to the GDP of the countries (how much a country produces). This information confirms that although we still finished the third quarter of 2011 with a deficit (as confirmed by both eurostat and nso) we still managed to decrease the debt ratio to GDP, indicating that the economy (GDP) grew at a better rate than debt.

Lawrence Fenech

Feb 6th, 12:59

@Agius.

You should ask Gonzi where the money came from and how much came out of the maltese pockets.

Wenzu Vella

Feb 6th, 13:04

Ha ha ha jekk nidhku aktar ihossna hazing dear G

Robert Agius

Feb 6th, 13:29

@ G agius

or someone was not doing their job well until someone slapped their wrists. But you know, Jesus walked on water and stuff...

Ġ. Agius

Feb 6th, 13:54

I think you can easily read the budget reports to know the things you're asking.

All I know is that Malta is not suffering as much as the rest of Europe, and it was ALL thanks to the great PN government that we're not in a recession and begging for alms!

Philip Hili

Feb 6th, 15:53

@ ALBERT FENECH

Fadallek ftit x'tittewwep Bert!!!

Philip Hili

Feb 6th, 12:22

@ William Calleja

Not as much as other Greek, Italians, Spaniards Portuguese fellows.

Maybe you are living in Mars and not on a planet called EARTH!!!!

Edward Curmi

Feb 6th, 12:35

End result with PL in power "Malta sees sharpest EU increase in government debt
"

Alfred E. Zahra

Feb 6th, 12:48

Yes and we are still better off than the irish, The ``lativians, the greeks, the italians, the Hungarians ( whose national airline has just gone bust), the cypriots, the Spannish, the portugese, the British and a host of other people. Not bad at all for a serial failure as PM.

m. borg (slm)

Feb 6th, 14:05

@Philip Hili, why do you keep looking at those worse off instead oflooking up and aspire to become like those who are doing well.
.
You gonzipn apologists are like people who have venereal disease and instead of taking medicine to cure themselves they say "look he's got cancer".

Philip Hili

Feb 6th, 15:59

@ m. borg (slm)
Because we are already doing VERY WELL and no one expects our GOZIPN to be better than others well off!!!

Edward Curmi

Feb 6th, 15:13

no room for excuses please admit that were not doing so bad after all....or as a Pl supporter you only see "doom and gloom"???