The Nationalist Party in government would put €30 million in the pockets of Maltese and Gozitan workers through its proposed measure to remove the tax on the first €10,000 earned by part-time workers and for overtime work, PN MPs Graham Bencini and Ivan Castillo said on Friday.

During a press conference, the PN MPs stated that the PN is trying to really help families, and that thousands of Maltese and Gozitan workers and families would benefit from such a measure.

Bencini remarked that it is pointless to talk about statistics on paper without addressing the real problems that people are facing. He continued that people are in a situation today where if they are doing part-time work, they are taxed at 10% for the first €10,000 they earn. He added that those who are self-employed part-time are taxed at 10% for the first €12,000 they earn. In the case of overtime work, Bencini said that the first €10,000 earned is taxed at 15%.

He referred to a speech made by PN Leader Bernard Grech on Thursday during Workers' Day, during which Grech spoke of this measure. Referring to the speech, Bencini said that the first €10,000 earned by part-time workers as well as from overtime work will be "totally exempt" from taxation under a PN government.

Breaking down how much money this measure would leave to the workers, the PN MP said that part-time workers would be keeping €1,000, part-time self-employed would be keeping €1,200, and overtime workers would be keeping €1,500. He commented that this measure would cost €30 million as an investment in Maltese and Gozitan workers.

Castillo said that this measure shows in reality how much the PN is listening to the call of the Maltese and Gozitan people. He remarked that the PN understands the realities that people are facing.

He commented that the number of people at risk of poverty is increasing, not decreasing or remaining the same.

Castillo stated that due to the difference in tax rates between part-time and overtime work, there were a lot of workers who were refusing overtime work and instead going to part-time jobs. He remarked that this situation was creating a real problem for employers, and so to address this challenge, the PN's measure would make the tax rate the same for part-time and overtime work.

The PN MP concluded that this is how the PN is addressing the rising cost of living, through measures such as this as well as the proposal to no longer tax the Cost of Living Adjustment, along with giving tax credits to employers and establishing a national fund to address the increase in import and export tax rates.