TMIS Editorial: The country needs much more than tax cuts

There he goes again, promising goodies in the hope of creating a feel-good factor and deflect attention away from the myriad problems that this country is facing.Last Sunday, Prime Minister Robert Abela pledged that in the presentation of the budget

By: independent.com.mt

Sep 01 2024
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TMIS Editorial: The country ne

There he goes again, promising goodies in the hope of creating a feel-good factor and deflect attention away from the myriad problems that this country is facing.

Last Sunday, Prime Minister Robert Abela pledged that in the presentation of the budget for 2025, Finance Minister Clyde Caruana will be announcing the "biggest tax cut in the country's history", which would largely benefit the middle class. Tax bands, Abela told his interviewer, will be widened, but he provided no more details. He wants to create anticipation for the budget, and no doubt there will be a crescendo as the day approaches.

It has been Labour's tactic ever since it took office in 2013. The PL's strategy has been to keep the people happy with treats, buy their support with cheques, tell them the government is subsidising this and that - and they will turn a blind eye or two to the corruption, wrongdoing, lack of action and mismanagement. Never mind the growing debt, too.

Abela is now doing it again. He knows well enough that his party is in disarray following the results of the local council and European Parliament elections, which saw Labour lose so much of its advantage. This has led to top people abandoning the party, for different reasons, while a general feeling of disquiet is being perceived as the government has been unable - or does not even want to - to tackle the growing list of complications that we are all facing.

For the section of people who look at Malta with Labour-tinged glasses, like those who went to Valletta in support of Joseph Muscat as he was being arraigned in court, a tax cut would be taken as manna from heaven.

But there is thankfully an even bigger section of the population who, while understanding that a tax cut would signify more money in their pocket, look beyond this as they know that it will not solve the day-to-day challenges they face. For one thing, many of us have realised that having more money does not mean a better quality of life, given that expenses continue to rise regularly. The government has tried to contain inflation by a Stabbilta' pact which, we found out after it was introduced with so much pomp, has many limitations.

But there's more to life than just money and tax cuts.

The government continues to fail, for example, in matters related to the rule of law. Its reaction to scandals that have hit hard is ludicrous - and we mention driving licences, social benefits and ID cards as just three of the issues that have eroded trust.

We have institutions that do not function properly. Those that do run appropriately encounter obstacles and, when their work is done and they need others to build on their recommendations, find that there is no willingness to pursue the matter.

Let's take inquiries as just one example. We have had another one launched this past week after the murder of a woman in her apartment. But we have had other inquiries conducted in the past which led to nowhere, as the government did not act on the proposals made.

There are many areas which need attention.

We'd like to see the government establish, for example, a media law which really protects journalists. This has been promised since the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia in 2017, and it is still to see the light of day.

We'd like to see our health services restored to being among the best in Europe, and not collapse under the pressure of demand in spite of all the good efforts made by all the staff working in the field.

We'd like to see the energy grid keeping up with the needs of the country, and not fall flat each time the temperatures rise in summer.

We'd like to be sure that our identity is not being stolen, and that our home address is not listed on some stranger's ID card.

We'd like an improved sewage system that avoids a repetition of what happened to Balluta Bay this summer.

We'd like to have safer roads, and the three fatalities we had in just one day last Tuesday should spur an even bigger effort in this regard.

We'd like to know that anyone behind the wheel is capable of driving a car, and was not given a licence just because someone high up intervened.

We'd like better traffic management, and that road works are carried out in the swiftest time possible to limit the danger and inconvenience.

We'd like to know that social services are being received only by people who are entitled to them.

We'd like to see the government stick to its promise and enact a law which stops construction work until the appeal process is exhausted.

We'd like to see the government come up with a plan to shift the economic model to one which is more sustainable, and built on quality jobs rather than just being labour-intensive.

We'd like to see a tourism industry that is not dependent on numbers, but rather one based on higher-quality visitors who put less pressure on the infrastructure.

We'd like a serious plan that addresses population issues, given that Malta is not growing in size but has seen an exponential rise in the number of residents.

We could add more, but we've run out of space.

So we will just say that the people are expecting much more than tax cuts when the budget is presented in October.