The deficit has been, and will continue to be reduced but not for the sake of “obeying” the European Union, rather because it is in the eurozone’s and Malta’s best interests to do so, Deputy Prime Minister Tonio Borg said yesterday.
When it comes to education the PN has better policies
Speaking during the debate in second reading of the Bill to implement budget measures, Dr Borg explained that this was an EU regulation which Malta had contributed to, and which it was in Malta’s best interests to fall in line with.
The country’s deficit, as the Finance Minister announced, was below three per cent last year and is to go below 2.3 per cent of the GDP this year. “The measures we have taken are working, but we need to do more,” he said. The truth was that other countries, which pushed for the treaty far more than Malta did, had higher deficit levels and would have to make far greater sacrifices.
“I was shocked to hear the Opposition Leader criticise us for increasing the pensionable age, which was something all countries did and we did it to save our pensions system,” he said.
At the time when pensions were introduced the life expectancy for men was 61, so the retirement age was close to the life expectancy of the time. However, up until some two years ago the retirement age remained 61, but life expectancy was close to 77.
Dr Borg said he also found it impossible to understand how anyone could be against a number of positive concessions proposed through the amendments to the Motor Vehicles Registration and Licensing Act, which included concessions to various people. While some governments have reasoned that it was wiser to invest in sectors other than education, this was not true of a Nationalist government. In 1967 a Nationalist government removed fees for all those who wanted to further a university education. Shortly before the 1987 budget, it introduced stipends for students. This was a government which truly wanted to invest in our children, he said.
“This is why in all polls the PN comes first, and even the Labour Party recognises that when it comes to education the PN has better policies and is better at putting them into practice,” Dr Borg said.
University attendance rocketed under the PN, and stipends were another aspect of education which greatly improved under a Nationalist government. These did not just increase the number of students, but also saw an improvement in the gender balance.
Even in terms of the economy, the PN government has made great reforms, such as the move towards high value added manufacturing and the financial services industry in Malta, which was today one of the most important ones in the Mediterranean. It was the same with ship registration where Malta ranks first in terms of tonnage in Europe, surpassing even the Greeks.
Nothing is perfect, but when we compare the circumstances this was a good budget, and thankfully did not introduce austerity measures like those in other countries, Dr Borg concluded. The House rose for the Easter recess and will meet again on April 23.