Families who purchase products and services related to their child's education will be refunded the VAT paid on these items through their children's allowance, Labour leader Alfred Sant pledged yesterday.
Meanwhile, students over 16 who purchased their first computer would also be refunded the VAT through the school stipend, as part of a Labour government's plan to put money back into families' pockets.
Schools too will get a VAT break on products, repairs and maintenance, among others, that will be offset against capital expenditure, Dr Sant said while speaking on Super One Radio's current affairs programme, Spirtu Pront, hosted by Reuben Sciberras.
Yesterday was a quiet day for Dr Sant - he had no engagements apart from the radio programme appearance - giving him time to rest before today's mass meeting at Cottonera at 4 p.m.
"There is VAT on services related to education. How can the Prime Minister deny this? Our proposals will help ease families' financial burden, while improving the situation of education," he said.
He spoke at length on education, pointing out that Malta had one of the highest rates of illiteracy, the number of post-secondary students was among the lowest, and Malta was falling behind in primary education. He asked whether one of the problems was the fact that school hours were among the shortest, which could mean that students were rushing through their education and cramming so much in so little time.
"Those who can handle it will be burnt out and would have missed out on their childhood, while others are left behind. We need to ensure that everybody starts off on the right footing," he said, adding that his party planned to improve resources, and widen the curriculum, among others.
"All this has to be done following proper planning and discussions with parents, teachers and schools. A good solid foundation leads to success. We will provide improved resources and invest in education. It won't happen overnight, but it's our goal," he added.
Dr Sant also mentioned Enemalta's recent hedging efforts with respect to crude oil, and said it was ironic that a Nationalist Party administration chose this option, when it had attacked the Labour Party on this point.
"When we proposed hedging we were accused of gambling and incompetence. These matters shouldn't be built on stupid political pique. Now, the Government finally realised it had to hedge to stabilise prices until June - we hope this temporary measure is not a political ploy," he said.
Dr Sant said that in the remaining weeks, in the run-up to the March 8 general election, he will continue working to persuade people and "chasing every vote", while convincing society on the need for change.
"We cannot take anything for granted," he said.