A few days following the Budget 2015 speech in Parliament, the Minister for Finance Prof. Edward Scicluna discusses those measures which received the most interest from the public.

He notes that in the days following the Budget speech, he had occasion to visit the Budget 2015 freephone centre, which is tasked with receiving the public’s calls pertaining to the Budget and its measures.

Minister Scicluna explains that the Budget 2015 measure which received the most interest was the In-Work Benefit measure.

Prof. Scicluna notes that by means of this measure, the Government was assisting those lower-income families with children who already work, to keep working, thus rewarding their diligence.

 

 

Another measure which received considerable interest is the Budget 2015 measure which aims to rectify the injustice being suffered by those retired women aged between 57 and 61, who worked for a number of years in the past, but then stopped working.

The Minister notes that despite having paid National Insurance for a number of years, these women today receive no pension. He adds that many of these approx. 20,000 women were workers who were made to resign upon marriage, due to employment laws being what they were in those days.

Prof. Scicluna explains that by means of this measure, the Government is recognizing the economic contribution these women made in the past, by providing €200 to those who worked five years or more, and €100 to those who worked less than five years.

He also encouraged the public to call the Budget 2015 freephone to inquire as to how the Budget affected them personally.

 

 

– November 28, 2014