“Budget 2006 simply confirms the fact that this government has absolutely no vision for the future and is completely insensitive to the nation’s economic and social woes,” Labour leader Alfred Sant said yesterday.

Speaking at a press conference after the Prime Minister finished reading the budget speech, Dr Sant described the budget as “intended to communicate with laptops”, “pathetic” and was simply meant to “distract the public” from its problems.

The Labour leader said the government had simply no idea and could not get the country out of the hole it had put it into.

He said that in 2006, people will be paying an extra Lm6.20 per Lm100 in taxes notwithstanding the government’s claim that it did not raise taxes.

Dr Sant said the cost-of-living compensation related to energy was just Lm26 per year and was it definitely not enough to compensate for the massive hike in the electricity surcharge.

He said the budget simply added to the burden on the worker and demonstrated that this government had absolutely no social conscience and no clue how to revitalise the economy.

The Labour leader said the budget was extremely sparse on how the manufacturing sector could be revived and on the re-generation of the island of Gozo. He said there was a lot of talk but no progress in these areas.

“This is a government that has failed in every single area of policy and we are now tired of empty promises and no results,” he said.

He said the country badly needed a change in direction and the Labour Party was the only party that could actually solve the country’s chronic problems in the economy and in all social aspects.

“We can do it if we stay together and work for the good of our country,” Dr Sant added.

Replying to a question posed by The Malta Independent regarding the positive results mentioned in the budget – such as the reduction in the deficit and a projected increase in industry investment – Dr Sant said Dr Gonzi was not credible when giving these figures.

The PM is simply not giving the whole picture and he cannot continue fooling the people all the time, he said.

The only positive measure in the budget was the fact that industry was given some additional incentives but again, “we are tired of talk and no action,” he added.

On the proposed pension reform that was tabled in Parliament, Dr Sant said this was simply another white paper in an endless series of proposals that were leading nowhere.

He said the opposition had never been consulted on the budget document and neither on the proposed pension reform.