Azzjoni Nazzjonali (AN) is willing to offer a "starter kit" aimed at helping the people get back on their feet and acquire financial independence, the party leader Josie Muscat said yesterday.

Speaking during a party meeting in Cospicua, Dr Muscat stressed that AN wanted to ensure that each citizen enjoyed the fruit of his hard labour instead of giving everything to the government, then waiting for charity to be dispensed by the state.

AN, he said, was willing to provide this "starter kit" to help Maltese and Gozitans acquire financial independence.

This kit included: A reduction of income tax to 18 per cent for everyone; financial incentives to the owners of vacant buildings to rent out their property; identifying a stretch of land to build a number of units where first-time buyers could buy a finished property for not more than Lm20,000; and offering a government guarantee on the loan deposit for those who could not afford it.

Dr Muscat noted that statistics showed that the Cottonera had the highest rate of social problems.

AN would set up an educational programme aimed at helping the people in Cottonera to acquire the skills to find employment or become self- employed.

The party would also set up committees in the localities to identify and address the needs of Cottonera, he said.