Updated | Muscat insists Labour will vote against 2013 Budget

Labour leader Joseph Muscat says Labour will vote against budget and implement increases back-dated to 1 January 2013 if elected. PN invites Labour to vote for budget.

2 December 2012, 12:00am
by Jurgen Balzan

2 min read

Joseph Muscat

Adds PN statement at 12:16pm

A new Labour government will grant all increases and benefits, backdated to 1 January if the 2013 Budget is not approved, Labour leader Joseph Muscat said.

Stressing that the electorate should have peace of mind in the eventuality of a change in government, adding that upon being elected a Labour government would immediately implement all the increases and benefits proposed by a Nationalist government.

Muscat said: "In the same way government was able to implement the increases in fuel prices, tobacco and cement, the government should have no problem in finding a way how to implement the cost of living increase and other benefits."

Insisting that a Labour government would retain the budget's positive aspects, Muscat added that Labour had "other priorities which are not part of the budget presented by the Nationalist government."

In a brief telephone intervention on Labour's One Radio on Sunday morning, the Opposition leader said: "This budget mostly benefited a particular category, which is the less in need of such measures."

However, Muscat reassured that a Labour government would take anything away from the higher earners because these had succeeded through their own hard work.

The PL leader pointed out that Labour will keep other groups, such as the middle and lower earners, workers, self-employed and students, in mind.

Speaking on the chances of the budget not being approved by Parliament, Muscat said the Opposition could not be blamed if the budget is defeated, insisting that it was government's responsibility to muster a majority in Parliament.

He noted that parties in the opposition "never voted in favour of a budget in Maltese political history."

In reaction to Muscat's comments, the Nationalist Party said: "If Muscat wants to be taken seriously and really wants Maltese families to benefit from the positive measures of the 2013 Budget he should vote in favour of the budget. It is a pity that Muscat places partisan interests before the families' interests."

Jurgen Balzan was a MaltaToday reported from 2011 to 2017.

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mela hawn xi mkien fid dinja, hlief meta jkollok kanna ma rasek jew holqa go ghonqok li l opposizzjoni tivvota mal gvern fil budget..... diga ceda hafna dr muscat imma izzejjed izzejjed. id dizgwid gie ghax dr gonzi rebah l ahhar elezzjoni bil qerq u kellu jpatti tul il legislatura ghal dan il qerq.......

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@betterfutue...it's prima facie.....

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Il problema hi li jekk il-budget ma jghaddix, il-mutur tal ekonomija sa jieqaf sa kemm jibda jiffunzjona parlament gdid, i.e. Mejju gunju 2013. Jiflah dan il pajjiz daqqa bhal din? Ghaliex? ghax il-mizuri tal budget ma jistghux jitwettqu jekk ma jaghddix! Min se jixtri xi propjeta, karozzi godda u busness gdid, jistenna l-mizuri jidhlu l-ewwel. Min se jahallas xi elf euro izjed fuq car gdida biex imbaghad jiehu refund xi sentejn tlieta wara? U maghhom jistagna kollox u kullhadd. Bathrooms, plumbers, kahhala.....katina li tolqot lill kullhadd!

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Kemm tafu b'kazi f'Malta fejn l-oppozzizjoni ivvutat mal gvern rigward il budget? QATT. Allura ghalfejn tad dmugh tal kukkudrilli ghax il PL ser jivvota kontra il vot ta fiducja li qed jitlob Dr.Gonzi? X'ipokrezija hi din?

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A budget that, prima facis, benefited the high earners at the expense of the low earners. Shame on GonziPN. They have tried to extract the last ounce of dough for themselves, from what little cash the Nation might still have.

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No dear PN, labour should not vote with the government on the budget! If the government enjoys a majority in parliament it should have no problem passing its budget -- if however it cannot pass its budget it clearly means it has no majority in parliament and as such no mandate to govern, the only option then open is to! ... The PN has only itself to blame for cornerning itself into this position -- even the recent moves by its new deputy to bring reconciliantion were rebuffed, so what does it expect? Boloh u Buffi.