The Opposition is clearly not aware of what the country is accomplishing and is instead attempting to mislead the people, the government said yesterday in reply two sets of recent Labour proposals related to the issue of housing and the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development (MCESD) chairmanship.
Replying to the Opposition proposal that the MCESD chairman be given a ministerial designation, the government reminded that the MCESD chairman already forms part, as a full member, of the Cabinet Committee on Competitiveness. Ass such, the MCESD chairman participates fully in all that is planned, studied and developed by the Committee including the National Reform Programme and the Lisbon Agenda.
In another statement, the Finance Ministry pointed out the government is already assisting people looking to purchase homes through a raft of incentives including schemes being run by the Housing Authority, the Authority placing more property on the market at subsidised prices, Value Added Tax refunds and fiscal incentives on eco-friendly home appliances.
Replying to criticisms levelled at the government’s housing schemes by the Opposition on Saturday, the Finance Ministry yesterday stated “it is clear the Opposition is not aware of existing schemes that the youth and families of Malta and Gozo are benefiting from. The Labour Party should better inform itself on the schemes and incentives already being offered by the Housing Authority.”
Referring to the four Labour proposals in the area outlined by Dr Sant on Saturday, the Finance Ministry iterated the contents of the proposals in question were already working and are included within schemes that have been underway for so me time now.
The government, through the Housing Authority, is helping first-time home buyers through an already-implemented Share Ownership Scheme and Share Equity Scheme – both of which offer exactly what the Opposition had proposed on Saturday.
Nor was the Opposition familiar with the contents of the government’s recent pre-budget document Strengthening Families, which contains an incentive on interest rates for first time buyers, which would see part of the interest being subsidised.
A Finance Ministry statement issued yesterday commented, “We are pleased that Alfred Sant is repeating what is contained in the pre-budget document.”
The Ministry added how other proposals floated by Dr Sant had already been implemented. The government had already and still is working with Malta’s commercial banks in relation to workers who had lost their jobs.
On the issue of stamp duty, the Ministry pointed out the Opposition had not mentioned whether it intended raising rates on sums over Lm50,000, which currently stands at five percent.
The Ministry added it is working hard in the sector, as it is in other areas for the overall betterment of the conditions of the Maltese people, but that Dr Sant and the Opposition have an agenda of proposing initiatives aimed at fostering popularity but without first informing themselves on whether the government had already implemented such schemes months or years earlier.
“In essence, the Labour Party has not proposed anything new,” the Ministry added.