Budget will combat poverty, ensure fairer distribution of income – Muscat

The upcoming budget will combat poverty and strive to ensure a fairer distribution of income and continued economic growth, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said today.

Speaking during a telephone interview on One Radio, Muscat took a swipe at the Nationalist Party, arguing that the government is not part of the “political establishment” and that it was aware of the struggles faced by the people.

Lauding the creation of Malta’s new middle class, Muscat conceded that despite Malta having registered the lowest unemployment rate in the European Union and the highest rate of economic growth, there was not a just redistribution of income.

“Less people are dependent on social benefits, there has been a 14% increase in people who fall into the middle class … This is all thanks to a government which is not part of the establishment, a government which is ready to promote social mobility,” he said.

“This is a huge success, but it is not enough, there are still people living in poverty struggling to make ends meet, and the government must combat it,” Muscat argued.

Muscat also spoke of the increase in youth who stay in education after completing their compulsory education, and said tourist arrivals were at a record high.