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Family-friendly measures kept secret from PN backbenchers
The Nationalist Party parliamentary group was kept in the dark about the unique tax advantages specifically targeting parents with children, as Finance Minister Tonio Fenech omitted mentioning this detail, and others, when discussing Budget 2012 with his colleagues.
16 November 2011, 12:00am
Raphael Vassallo
Raphael Vassallo
2 min read
Nationalist MP Jesmond Mugliett
Over the weekend, the parliamentary group was presented with the budget proposals, as is standard practice, but the members were not informed about the 'juicier' parts of the budget which included a proposal to provide fiscal advantages to parents with children.
The budget has been touted a family friendly budget, but one that specifically targets the middle class, which has traditionally always supported the Nationalist party.
Talking on a special edition of Reporter on Monday on Favourite Channel, parliamentary backbencher Jesmond Mugliett, a former cabinet minister, said that recently the Prime Minister had chosen to withhold information from the parliamentary group.
Mugliett, who was informed in 2008 that he would no longer be a minister by means of an SMS sent from the PM's Blackberry - said that the budget focused on many segments and made many promises, but in many cases the amounts budgeted were insufficient.
The Prime Minister has since been very wary of divulging sensitive information to all the parliamentary group, possibly for fear of seeing the details of proposed projects in the unfriendly press.
This latest decision to keep his parliamentary group colleagues in the dark about certain budgetary measures appears to suggest a deepening of suspicion among government ranks, after the abortive defiance shown by one MP, Franco Debono, in the motion of no confidence in Transport Minister Austin Gatt.
Prime Minister Gonzi felt the need to call for a vote of confidence in his government - which he duly received - after Debono made good on an earlier threat to abstain in the vote against Gatt.
Debono was also present on Monday's Reporter, where he was asked what measures were being taken in the budget to address the issue of the administration of justice Debono said that there was a mention at the very end of the budget about justice; whereupon his colleague Mugliett joked that the reference in queston came immediately after a mention in the budget about dementia.
Debono has been a promoter of institutional reform of the law courts, and is presently behind a private motion in parliament about the justice ministry.
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Empty vessels make most sound.
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Can someone tell us whether the VAT amnesty was given because someone very high in the PN government was not up to date in paying his VAT?**
Is it true that it is also going to be extended because another PN high official is also not yet up to date?** Just asking
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Ha Ha the inner circle. Any yet the backbencher stooges keep playing the Gonzi tune. Kemm huma VDati!!!
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Everybody is equal some are more equal (from the book animalfarm by George Orwel)this saying is the golden rule for the PN party, that`s why Malta is in the state it is now, because we are being governed by a bunch of hypocrates.
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As they say, there are those who are simply PN who do not get any information or only a little, those of the inner circle who get more, and those of the inner sanctum sanctorum who decide everything.
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Jista xi hadd mil-Ministeru ta' Tonio Fenech , jispjegali ghala filwaqt li il-Ministru habbar li il-licenzja tat-televizzjoni giet imnehijja , illum stess ircivejt l-avviz biex ingedded il-licenzja ghas-sena id-diehla ?
Ara ma jigix xi hadd u jghid, bhall ma kien hawn min qalli,li dik hi tas-sena li ghaddiet,ghax ikun qed jghid l-akbar gidba , ghax il-licenzja tithallas hekk kif tixtri is-set tat-televizzjoni u mhux wara sena.
Ghalhekk il-licenzja li jiena hallast is-sena l'ohra,jigifieri f'Dicembru 2010 tkopri is-sena sa Dicembru 2011.
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I regret how my intervention during the post budget programme was reported. I was asked whether the parliamentary group meeting was a useless exercise where mp's are presented by a fait accompli. I said that it was not. I said that certain measures in the budget hit us by surprise, having been decided at the last moment. Certain criticsm made by mps on certain proposed measures were taken on board and not included.
The PM reserved the right to take unilateral decisions on the last hours before the budget.
I believe that i made objective assessments during the programme contrary to the impression given in today's article.
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franco debono j. muljett, intom it tnejn purcinelli ta gonzi, mandkomx ghal fejn dgergru li qiad iwarabkom, sinjal li qedin takwistaw it tnejn li intom.
