Some 300 proposals have been submitted to the Finance Ministry to be included in the pre-Budget document, Finance Minister Edward Scicluna said yesterday.

Addressing the seventh in a series of consultative meetings on the document, Prof. Scicluna told stakeholders that 23 proposals had already been taken on board.

“Not so long ago, the practice was for people to line up with a ‘shopping list’ of proposals on the eve of the Budget speech. Obviously, by that point it was already too late.

“What we want is to give people the chance to have their say in this Budget,” he said.

The proposals range from business tax breaks to bicycle incentives as well as measures for Gozitan families and businesses.

Prof. Scicluna said these would be included in the document, which should be finalised in the coming weeks.

Yesterday’s meeting, organised by Social Dialogue Minister Helena Dalli, included representatives of a broad range of fields from the nurses’ union to the Chamber of Small and Medium Enterprises, GRTU.

At the start of the meeting, hotelier Tony Zahra, who for years headed the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association, reminded Prof. Scicluna not to forget to include a VAT break for hotels, something he has long been calling for.

Retorting, Prof. Scicluna quipped that he could not hear where the suggestion was coming from.

“What’s that? Speak up,” he said.

Dr Dalli described how the government had been engaged in a bottom-up consultation with the public for the Budget.

“This is the most important document for the entire year as far as the people are concerned,” she said.