This was confirmed by Central Government Finance figures (January to July 2014) published by the National Statistics Office on Friday 29th August 2014, which show that aside from outstanding payments due by Enemalta, both government revenue and expenditure are in line with the 2014 Budget projections.

Indeed, on the revenue side, Government finances are performing better than expected, increasing by as much as €38.8 million beyond what was forecasted.

The cash flow shortfall in excise duty due by Enemalta will be made up fully before the end of this year and accrued accordingly. There is therefore no effective increase in the central government deficit over last year.

Furthermore, both income tax and social security contributions recorded an increase when compared to projections. In fact, revenue from income tax increased by €24.6 million while revenue from social security contributions recorded an increase of €14.2 million.

This reflects the sustained generation of employment driven by a strong employment growth rate that is among the highest in the European Union. Revenue from other non-tax revenue sources were also broadly in line with projections.

On the expenditure side, the total expenditure for the period was marginally below what was projected for the 2014 budget. This positive performance on the expenditure side was mainly driven by lower-than projected expenditure on programmes and initiatives, operations and maintenance.

“The NSO’s figures continue to confirm that Government finances are in line with the budget estimates and Government is confident that we are on track with regards to reaching the deficit target for this year,” said the Minister for Finance Prof. Edward Scicluna.

It is highly ironic that the Opposition’s Shadow Minister for Finance, under whose watch the country entered into Excessive Deficit Procedure (EDP) twice in the space of a few years, and who left as his inheritance a public energy corporation on the brink of collapse, is now attempting to undermine the economic and fiscal successes this Government has managed to achieve.

The Opposition’s wilful misinterpretation of published figures, coupled with its refusal to even recognise its shambolic legacy, far less accept responsibility for it, confirms that the Opposition has not yet learned from its gross economic and fiscal mismanagement, and lacks all credibility on economic and fiscal issues.