There was a time when all of Malta would be glued to a television or radio set to listen to the Finance Minister going through the tortuous motion of reading the budget speech. It was a time when only the State had its own stations and the following day's newspapers printed each and every word that the minister said in his hours-long address. It was a time when life was "slower" and social media did not exist, and it was felt that it was important that all was registered for posterity. It was also a time when the minister used to tell us how much corned beef and tuna was to cost in the following year.

Ironically, as more media outlets came to be and, more recently, virtual interaction platforms mushroomed, interest in the budget waned heavily.  Rather than generate more attention, it pushed more and more people away.

It could be because people understood more that the budget is by and large an opportunity for the government to increase the tempo of its propaganda machine, saying how everything is smooth and running while ignoring the problems that afflict the country.

It could be because life has become "faster" and fewer people bother to follow what the Finance Minister has to say. After all, it is argued, very often the most difficult and unpopular decisions are not announced in the budget, and come camouflaged in colourful wrapping paper.

It could be because we are living in the age of sound-bites, a time when politicians are more intent on feeding insubstantial talk to the masses than offering something of substance.  We are therefore sure that, as soon as the Finance Minister starts rolling (make it quick, dear Clyde), we will be inundated with the positive from the government's end (and the Labour Party's, too), and the negative from the Nationalist Party's side.

It could also be because, with all the activities that are held before the actual budget day, most of what is said in the budget is already known beforehand. We have the Finance Minister himself presenting a pre-budget document, which gives strong indications as to what to expect on the day. He is then also interviewed in depth to find out more what the government has in mind.

We then also have the Prime Minister meeting constituted bodies, where the way forward is discussed. We also have most constituted bodies presenting their own proposals, some of which end up in the minister's speech, with the respective organisation then taking credit.

This year, too, we had the PM raising expectations of what he has described as a "historic" tax cut, a measure which will probably be the one that spawns the most discussion. The hype Robert Abela raised with his pre-budget declarations will possibly lead to more disappointment than satisfaction, as the way it has been presented has led many to think that their lives will change.

It has also become common for the government to use the budget to make promises that had already been made in the past, using different words to make it seem that it is proposing something new. It has then happened many times that pledges made in the budget did not materialise, and so the government repeats the same suggestion in the hope that, the following year, it will be able to fulfil that undertaking.

What is really important, in tomorrow's budget, is that the government says what it is doing, and plans to do, to move away from the current economic model to one that is more suited to Malta's needs. For years it has ignored warnings from the private industry that we are running serious risks unless things change. It is time that the government wakes up to understand that Malta cannot continue down this road.

It was only last Wednesday at the EY attractiveness survey conference that the government was told, once again, that the rising cost of living and labour strain are worrying investors, and that the confidence levels are not as high as they were in pre-pandemic times. At the same conference, the Chamber of Commerce president Chris Vassallo Cesareo again pointed out that skyrocketing housing prices, overburdened public services, and the daily stresses on roads and utilities are signs that the current economic model, which depends heavily on increasing the number of foreign workers and tourists, is unsustainable.

The government is feeding the illusion that everything is fine in this country. Through treats such as the income tax cuts and cheques it attempts to influence public opinion and hide all that is wrong.  But, deep down, it is not as rosy as the government portrays it to be.

Tomorrow, the government should tell us more what it intends to do to steer Malta in a different direction. Otherwise, it would be just another exercise in futility.