An agreement with foreign investors on the multi-million euro White Rocks sports village would be reached “in a matter of weeks”, the Prime Minister said yesterday when interviewed on Church radio RTK.
“It is good the White Rocks project was not mentioned in the Budget because that means it will be self-financing and will not be a burden on public finances,” Lawrence Gonzi said when asked why the project failed to get a mention in Monday’s Budget speech.
Answering questions from callers about the adequacy of the €1.16 cost of living weekly wage increase for next year, Dr Gonzi repeatedly reminded listeners the increase was in addition to last year’s €5.82.
He defended the absence of the energy benefit granted last year, insisting it had been a one-off payment and the government wanted to dedicate money to other priorities.
However, he said the energy allowance for needy families that amounted to about €4 million was retained.
Dr Gonzi also defended the VAT hike for hotel accommodation, denying claims by the Malta Hotel and Restaurants Association that they were caught by surprise.
“We have been discussing this for two years,” he said, insisting the bed tax announced two years ago was never implemented to give the tourism industry a chance to recuperate.
Asked by the programme host to stand in the boots of a newspaper editor and write a headline for the Budget, Dr Gonzi said he would have chosen the title: A Budget for the country and for you.
“The Budget addresses the country’s needs and it is tailor-made to target issues concer-ning particular categories,” he said.