Last Monday evening saw Opposition Leader Alfred Sant being too little too late. More than that, whatever he promised sounded more like a panic-induced reaction to a good budget without any consideration to the relevant financing of the “promises” made. However what convinces me even further that he should remain in his present political position is the fact that he seems to have no roadmap as to how to address the financial sustainability of our economy.

If his stint in government is anything to go by, then it tends to raise our fears even further. In just under two years, he first lost his Finance Minister within the year and then managed to hit an all time high with a Lm282 million deficit – all this in a mere 22 months in office. Today he has been cornered. He has had to accept the introduction of the euro as of 1 January next year as a certainty; so much so that, during his two-hour long speech, he dismissed all his turns and u-turns on the subject by stating that the matter is now a thing of the past. The introduction of the euro in January will be binding his hands and restricting maneuverability in so far as playing around with rates of exchange as well as devaluation are concerned.

Repeatedly, he is now insisting that he has all the solutions that the country needs within six months of taking office – should he be elected to the premiership come next election. This begs the question as to whether, if elected to government, Dr Sant intends to remain in office for the full term or intends to solve everything within six months and then call a snap election in order to have a larger majority, should he be riding the wave of his wished-for success. I very much doubt whether he will be there. Anyone who can read between the lines of what Dr Sant said last Monday will realise that what the Opposition Leader is proposing is financially unsound because it is unattainable.

However, coming back to earth and to the budgetary measures announced; what are the members of the opposition going to do? The country will see whether they have what it takes when they will be asked to vote on the various measures proposed in this year’s budget intended to help practically each and every sector within our society.

Will it be an “AYE” or a “NAY” by the opposition when voting on:

• The granting of allowances for all children, with a minimum of Lm107, even for those who before were entitled to less or to nothing at all. This measure affects 25,000 children.

• The granting of a lower stamp duty rate to those who are purchasing their first residence. The stamp duty has been lowered to 3.5 per cent up to a value of Lm50,000.

• The lowering of stamp duty for those who acquire by donation a property for the purposes of residence. This rate has been reduced from five per cent to 3.5 per cent whatever the value of such property.

• The exemption from payment of stamp duty on the house of residence in case of the death of a spouse if the said residence is being inherited in whole or in part by the surviving party.

• The subsidising of part of the interests payable to first time buyers on their bank loan if they purchase a property valued at Lm50,000 or less should the bank interest rate be more than 3.75 per cent per annum.

• The revision of the income tax bands.

• The tax exemption of EUR2,000 given to old-age people in private homes – which exemption may be used by the pensioner or by the family.

• The increase in capital and recurrent expenditure being given to the University of Malta and the MCAST as well as to the education sector as a whole.

• The introduction of the no-cost breast-screening for all women in order to address the prevention and curing of breast cancer.

• The exemption of payment of national insurance to all those who start off their own business.

• The granting of the full Lm1.50c anticipated cost of living increase to pensioners.

• The tax exemptions being given to parents with children in kindergarten classes.

• The Lm13 million capital being invested for the construction of further factory space at Hal Far and Mosta.

• The increase of about Lm6 million being invested in education as a whole.

• The re-scaling of the wages for all Armed Forces of Malta personnel.

Come the end of the budgetary debate we shall all be able to judge the members of the opposition by their actions and not by their words. Should the opposition vote ‘NAY’, there can be no doubt in anybody’s mind that Dr Sant’s reaction to the budget, after all, was merely another uneventful episode that went up in smoke.

Tony Abela is parliamentary secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister