The government defended its Budget from accusations it was socially unjust as the political crossfire yesterday entered a second day.

The Prime Minister said low income families with children would benefit from significant cash hand-outs without distorting the market.

“The money given to these families is much more than any increase in the minimum wage could possibly give them,” he said, adding the government was not ashamed to be labelled pro-business since this was necessary to be able to create wealth that could be distributed justly.

Opposition finance spokesman Tonio Fenech described it as “a four-hour exercise on how to hide tax hikes from the public”. He said the Budget lacked economic vision and was socially unjust.

He said the Budget offered no solutions for thousands of commuters facing daily ordeals on heavily congested roads. Car owners were left counting the costs of higher vehicle licence fees, insurance and excise duty on fuel.

“Rather than addressing the increase in traffic, the government has treated this sector as an additional source of revenue.”

But the government said excise tax increases were minimal and spread over various items.

And as Dr Muscat and Simon Busuttil prepare to deliver their Budget speeches next week in Parliament, reactions flowed as people and organisations digested the figures and analysed the measures.

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