Prime Minister says this won’t be his last budget
Prime Minister Joseph Muscat will be staying for at least one more budget, he indicated during a press conference inside Castille, just after the budget last night.
When asked whether this was his last budget, Muscat answered with a very clear ‘No’, to which the ministers and MPs seated behind him gave a round of applause. “If you think we’ve given a lot in this one because this is the last one, see the next one,” he quipped.
Muscat was asked about this budget being more about managing economic growth rather than incentivising it, he said that the major change from the previous government is that the last government saw the budget as an accounting exercise, while this government sees it as a way to incentivise.
He also refutes the idea that this is a situation of government just managing, and said that the government is working the economy as it still has not reached its full potential.
He spoke about giving signals in terms of changing the economic model for the future, especially when it comes to the climate. He said that the amount of measures given in this regard are a clear indication of what is to come.
Muscat said that the government is increasing its steam and not going ‘steady as she goes’. He also highlighted upcoming international issues that could have an effect in Malta, like Brexit, and spoke about preparations for this. As an example, he highlighted the work the Malta Tourism Authority is undertaking to tackle possible issues caused by Brexit.
With the government spending millions on road widening but cars on the road are still increasing, such that these measures could at best temporarily alleviate traffic, Muscat was asked whether the government has a long-term plan to solve traffic problems, or whether it is mainly based on road widening.
The prime minister said that the number of cars increasing on the road remained consistent over the past five years and did spike because roads were widened. It is pertinent to note that this was not the question actually asked.
He went on to cite a study by Gordon Cordina showing that road widening is not just simply alleviating the problem, but saving time in traffic and reducing emissions.
He spoke of the government’s aim to be one of the first EU countries to offer free public transport for everyone. Another part of the plan is to have more sea connections, including from places like St Paul’s Bay, Marsaxlokk and others. As many park and use the ferry to Valletta, he said, even people from St Paul’s Bay and other localities would be able to do the same. These are just two parts of the plan, “but we cannot just discount the road projects as though we are simple alleviating...” He said that road widening will not lead to more traffic, and said that the government will not go towards the idea some other parts of the world have gone to, like using a lottery to be able to buy a car for example. He said that the government wants to work through incentives.