Muscat - Budget all about putting money in peoples’ pockets [video]

The Prime Minister said that yesterday's budgetary measures were thought of with Maltese and Gozitan families primarily in mind. He said that the ultimate scope was to leave more money in the pockets of the people.

Muscat was speaking at an informal meeting with a Naxxar-based family, where yesterday's family budget measures were discussed.

The Tanti family, composed of Carmel - a pensioner, his wife, son and daughter expressed their gratitude to the Prime Minister for keeping to his electoral promise of reducing energy tariffs by March of next year, to which Muscat replied "God forbid we did not keep that promise".

Muscat said that it was the duty of government to look after its people, reiterating his stance that for many, this budget would have come as a surprise - as most would have been expecting more rigorous measures. He added that this year's budget would serve as a standard for the future.

Turning to face one of Tanti's daughters - who herself will gain from the removal of stamp duty tax as a first-time buyer of a house - Muscat said that one of the budget's main scopes was to help women in the world of work. He said that, through the new budgetary measures, employers would be given more incentives to employ women, and stated that that the opening of free childcare centres around the island would "change the face of Malta's economy".