Government spokesman Carmelo Abela confirmed today  that next year's budget will be presented on Monday 17 November.

The Opposition is set to reply to the budget speech the following Monday - 24 November. The Prime Minister Joseph Muscat will give his reaction on 25 November. Discussions will end in the first week of December.

Last week, it was announced that the Cost of Living Adjustment – COLA- will be of €0.58. Mr Abela again admitted that this is far from enough for some families, however a number of measures announced in the budget will target the most vulnerable.  He reiterated that the government will be addressing dependencies on social benefits and introduce incentives to encourage more people to enter the workforce.

Mr Abela noted, that as announced earlier, utility bills for businesses will be reduces as of March 2015.

In the meantime, the European Commission said  that there was no case of non-compliance by any member state, and indicated that it will be approving Malta’s draft budget sent to it earlier this month.

The PL whip said that Malta has been asked to contribute an additional €13 million to the European Union. This, Mr Abela said, essentially means that Malta has registered an economic growth. “ It seems Leader of the Opposition Simon Busuttil is distorted from reality, just over a year ago, he claimed Malta will be asking for bailout once the Labour Party is in government,” he added.

 

 'My job description confidential'

Asked by journalists to give a description of his role to justify the 30,000 euro financial package he earns annually, the PL whip said that his job description is confidential but added that he takes orders from the prime minister and does what he has to do.

He said that the 30,000 euros he earns annually does not include the wage he earns separately as a Member of Parliament.

Pressed on whether he justifies his salary package, Mr Abela said he will not pass judgments on his own salary.