Budget 2014 is a breath of fresh air. Gone are the days when we used to look at the budget speech as a futile exercise with little or no relevance.

A budget speech should always be considered as the occasion when the government lays down its strategy and programme for the year ahead. This is what this government is doing. This year’s budget speech lays down the government’s roadmap not only for the coming financial year but also for the years to come. It provides an insight into what direction the government will be taking during this legislature.

This budget is one that addresses people who work hard: families who want to be successful in life and offer their children a better future, mothers and fathers who want their children to do better, workers who want to look ahead to a stable future and those who want to progress further in their careers. It also addresses business people who want the right environment in which to operate and students who want to finish their course successfully and land the job of their dreams.

Let me focus on our families, particularly the young ones. We work hard and we would like to live comfortably and save some money. We want to have the right structures and support to help us offer the best future for our children. We want to balance our family obligations with our work commitments. We want to be present in our children’s lives and offer them the very best. This budget addresses our aspirations and dreams.

I have met a number of young mothers and fathers who see this budget as providing the direction we needed so badly and providing the policy we were seeking. Measures such as free child care, helping parents balance family and work, reducing income tax, reducing utility bills and refunding undue taxes that we paid on car registration are all aimed at helping us look to the future with optimism. Other measures, such as the possibility of taking our children to school early where they will be provided with breakfast while we get in to work on time, and tax reductions for families paying for childcare services, reflect the realities that young families are facing today. 

Furthermore, measures that help young adults who want to start their own family and buy their very first property will provide the necessary push to all those young couples who will be looking forward to any possible savings they can make. One important measure in this regard is the benefit to first-time buyers of not paying duty on the first €150,000 of an immovable property.

This is a government that understands the importance of education and this budget provides the necessary measures in this regard. For the first time since 1999, young people will be benefitting from an increase in stipends which will include an increase reflecting the cost of living adjustments pro-rata. Opportunities such as work placements and apprenticeships will also help young people make a smooth transition from the educational environment to the job market. Training assistance will also be provided to working single parents. These measures are clear evidence that the government understands we are living in an age when people want more than just a job and are looking forward to having a career.

I am sure that I reflect the opinion of the majority in saying that we are willing to do our part in contributing to the wellbeing of our country by working hard. All we ask is that the government helps us contribute further by providing us with the right structures and measures. This is what we are witnessing now and what I hope will be developed further – not only during 2014 but in the years to come.

Ultimately a stronger Malta will help its citizens enjoy a fairer life.