Bit-tema, Malta inkomplu nikbru flimkien, il-Ministru tal-Finanzi Edward Scicluna ppreżenta l-Baġitgħas-sena d-dieħla b’nefqa ta’ ħamest elef miljun ewro. Il-baġit ma fihx taxxi ġodda u fost il-miżuri li tħabbru hemm żewġ bonuses għal ħaddiema flimkien mal-kumpens għall-għoli tal-ħajja. Ser tonqos ukoll ir-rata tat-taxxa fuq is-sahra u tħabbar bonus għal kull tarbija li titwieled jew tiġi adotta. Fil-baġit fost oħrajn tħabbret ukoll żieda fil-pensjonijiet.

Fit-tielet baġit ta’ din l-leġiżlatura, il-Ministru tal-Finanzi Edward Scicluna ħabbar li ż-żieda għall-għoli tal-ħajja se tkun ta’ €3.49 ċenteżmu fil-ġimgħa. Minbarra din iż-żieda, il-Gvern ser jagħti wkoll bonus ta’ darba ta’ €15-il ewro lil familji ta’ persuna waħda u €35 lil familji ta’ aktar minn persuna waħda biex tagħmel tajjeb għal żidiet fil-prezz tal-ħalib li s’issa ma nqabditx bis-sistema tal-COLA. Il-Ministru Scicluna ħabbar ukoll li t-tax refund lil mitejn elf ħaddiem li għandhom dħul inqas minn sittin elf ewro fis-sena ser jerġa’ jingħata u ser ivarja bejn €40 u €68, bl-ogħla rata titħallas lil dawk li għandhom dħul baxx.

Għal darb’oħra, il-Gvern ser iżid il-pensjonijiet u mill-1 ta Jannar, il-pensjonanti ser jiżdiedu €7 fil-ġimgħa li jinkludu ż-żieda għall-għoli tal-ħajja. Il-Ministru Scicluna qal li din hi l-ikbar żieda fil-pensjonijiet fl-aħħar 40 sena u ssegwi żidiet li ngħataw fl-aħħar ħames snin. Tħabbar li ser jibda jsir aġustament fil-pensjonijiet tal-membri tal-korpi dixxiplinati li jirtiraw wara 25 sena servizz. Ser titneħħa d-diskrepenza fil-pensjoni tar-romol bejn dawk li jaħdmu jew ma jaħdmux, li l-pensjoni tagħhom ser tiżdied b’€10 fil-ġimgħa. Tħabbar ukoll li mis-sena d-dieħla, l-anzjani li għalqu 75 sena, ser jivvjaġġaw b’xejn fuq tal-linja.

Miżura oħra li tolqot ħafna ħaddiema hija dwar is-sahra li t-taxxa fuqha ser tibda titħallas bir-rata ta’ 15% sa 100 siegħa sahra fis-sena. Din il-miżuri hija limitata għal ħaddiema li d-dħul tagħhom ma jaqbiżx l-€20,000 fis-sena u ma tgħoddx għal membri tal-management. Il-baġit jipprovdi wkoll biex tiżdied ġurnata oħra fil-leave biex tpatti għal festi li jaħbtu fi tmiem il-ġimgħa.

Il-Ministru Scicluna ħabbar ukoll li mis-sena d-dieħla, il-Gvern ser jagħti bonus ta’ €300 ta’ darba għat-twelid ta’ kull tarbija. Dan il-bonus ser jingħata wkoll lil familji li jadottaw. Il-pensjoni tal-persuni b’diżabiltà li minħabba l-kundizzjoni tagħhom ma jistgħux jaħdmu ser tiżdied minn €150 għal €161.40 fil-ġimgħa u meta tikkunsidra li ma titħallasx il-bolla tiġi daqs il-paga minima. Il-Ministru Scicluna ħabbar li l-familji bi tfal b’mard rari ser ikunu meqjusa bħal familji bi tfal b’diżabiltà fil-ħlasijiet tal-bolla. Tħabbar ukoll li l-Gvern ser jibda jagħmel tajjeb għall-ewwel tliet ijiem tas-sick leave f’ċertu mard fosthom il-kanċer u l-fibromalagia.

Fil-qasam tal-kiri u x-xiri tal-propjetà, il-baġit tas-sena d-dieħla ser jestendi minn 150 għal 175 il-elf proprjetajiet li fuqhom ma titħallasx l-bolla mill-persuni li jkunu qed jixtru l-ewwel propjetà tagħhom. Dwar is-sussidji għall-kirjiet mill-privat, il-persuni ser ikunu jistgħu jingħataw sussidju jekk id-dħul tagħhom ma jiskorrix it-€32,000 fis-sena. Il-baġit fih ukoll miżuri li jgħinu persuni biex isiru sidien ta’ darhom bl-estensjoni tal-iskema tal-equity sharing li biha l-Gvern ikun lest li jislef sa €17,000 għax-xiri ta’ propjetà li titħallas lura mingħajr imgħax fi żmien 15-il sena.

Fil-baġit tħabbar pakkett sħiħ ta’ miżuri maħsuba biex jitnaqqas l-effett tat-tibdil fil-klima li jvarjaw mill-projbizzjoni tal-plastik li jintużaw darba biss sa inċentiv sa €1,000 lil familji li għandhom il-panelli tax-xemx u li l-ftehim tal-feed in tariff jiskadilhom. Il-baġit b’nefqa ta’ ħamest elef miljun ewro ma fih ebda taxxa ġdida u lanqas tnaqqis minn benefiċji oħra li ngħataw fis-snin li għaddew. Il-Gvern qed jistma li t-tkabbir ekonomiku jkun ta’ lanqas 4.3% s-sena d-dieħla. Qed jippjana wkoll li s-sena d-dieħla jerġa’ jkollu surplus ta’ 1.4% waqt li d-dejn nazzjonali ser jonqos għal 40.4% tal-prodott domestiku gross.

14 ta’ Ottubru 2019

 

A general overview of the 2020 Budget

With the theme ‘Malta inkomplu nikbru flimkien’, Finance Minister Edward Scicluna presented the Budget for next year with an expenditure of €5 billion euro. The budget lacks new taxes and its measures include two bonuses for workers, together with a cost of living compensation. Overtime tax rate will go down, while a bonus was announced for each new born baby or an adopted child. Among other measures, an increase in pensions was also announced in the budget.

In his third budget of this legislature, Minister Scicluna announced a cost of living increase of €3.49 a week. Apart from this increase, the Government will be giving a one-time bonus of €15 to a single parent family and €35 to families of more than one person as a compensation for the increases in milk price, which has not yet fallen under the COLA system. Minister Scicluna also announced that the tax refund to 200,000 workers whose income is less than €60,000 euro a year will be given again, and varies between €40 and €68, with the highest rate paid to those with low income.

 

 

 

Once again, the Government will increase pensions and from the 1st January, pensioners will benefit from a €7 weekly increase, that includes the cost of living increase. Minister Scicluna stated that this is the biggest increase in pensions in the past 40 years, and follows increases given during the past five years. An adjustment will also be made in pensions of disciplined forces members who retired after 25 years in Service. The disrepancy will be removed in widows’ pension, between those who are employed and those who do not work, with their pension increasing with €10 a week.

Another measure which affects many workers concerns tax on overtime which will be now paid with the rate of 15% up to 100 overtime hours annually. This measure is limited to workers whose income is not over €20,000 yearly and does not affect management members. The budget also provides for an increase of another day in workers leave to compensate for feasts that fall during weekends.

Minister Scicluna also announced that as of next year, the Government will give a one-time €300 bonus for every new-born baby. The bonus will also be given to families who adopt children. The pension of persons with disability who, due to their condition they cannot work, will increase from €150 to €161.40 a week, which means that when the social contribution is not paid, it is equal to the minimum wage.

Minister Scicluna announced that families with children who are diagnosed with rare disease will be considered similar to families with disabled children in social contibution payments. It was also announced that the Government will pay for the first three days of sick leave in certain diseases, including cancer and fibroma.

With regards to rents and property purchase, next year’s budget will extend from 150,000 to 175,000 properties on which stamp duty is not paid by persons buying their first property. On subsidies for rents by the private sector, persons will be given subsidy if their income is not over €32,000 annually. The budget also consists of measures that assist persons to become home owners with the extension of the equity sharing scheme with which the Government will loan up to €17,000 for the purchase of a property which is paid back, interest free, within 15 years.

 

The budget also provides for a whole package of measures aimed at decreasing the climate change effect that vary from a ban on plastic used only once to an incentive up to €1,000 to families who own solar panels where their feed in tariff agreement expires. The €5 billion expenditure budget does not have any new taxes and neither reductions of other benefits given in previous years. The Government estimates that economic growth will at least reach 4.3% next year, while it is also planning a 1.4% surplus for 2020 and a reduction to 40.4% of national debt in relation to the Gross Domestic Product.

14th October, 2019