If Finance Minister Clyde Caruana truly wants to seriously encourage the Maltese to have more children, he can start by taking the first step this evening and vote in favour of the Nationalist Party's Motion to support Maltese and Gozitan families in tackling the rising cost of living, the PN said Thursday.

Caruana, the "architect of the Labour Government's disastrous policies that led to a population explosion through the importation of cheap labour", is in the best position as Minister for Finance to take action on the declining birth rate among the Maltese, the PN said.

In a speech in Parliament, Caruana said that the declining birth rate could be tackled by introducing a new, improved tax rate for couples who have more than one child.

In its statement, the PN said it recently announced a series of proposals aimed at genuinely helping and encouraging Maltese and Gozitan families to have more children:

Expansion of parental leave to give families more time together:

Increasing paternity leave from 10 to 15 days;

Increasing parental leave from 8 to 28 weeks, to be shared equally between both parents and non-transferable;

Increasing maternity leave from 18 to 24 weeks, with the last 6 weeks transferable to the other parent;

A total of one full year of combined maternity and parental leave.

Government-funded leave for all workers, including the self-employed:

Paternity and parental leave, as well as increased maternity leave, fully funded by the government for all employees;

Parental leave payments up to the national average wage;

Equal leave entitlements for self-employed workers as those in employment;

Financial support for employers and the self-employed.

Support for childcare and remote working:

Financial assistance for parents who wish to stay at home to raise their children in their second year, equivalent to the subsidy provided to childcare centres;

Increased tax credits for employers who provide more hybrid work opportunities, allowing employees greater flexibility.

In addition to these proposals, the Opposition has also tabled a Motion for discussion in Parliament this evening to combat the rising cost of living, which includes various solutions in support of Maltese and Gozitan families, such as:

The Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) should not be taxable;

Tax credits for employers to prevent them from increasing prices to compensate for higher costs;

The establishment of a National Fund to support industries involved in imports or exports, helping them manage the financial impact of rising costs;

The introduction of a new economic model with fresh sectors focused on high-quality, well-paid jobs for our workforce.

If Caruana and the Labour Party truly wish to start addressing the problems they have created, they can begin this evening and then proceed by implementing the PN's proposals to improve work-life balance for families, the PN said.