ADPD-The Green Party Deputy Chairperson Carmel Cacopardo and Deputy Secretary General Mario Mallia criticised the 2026 Budget, arguing that it prioritises short-term electoral gain over the country's long-term wellbeing. They said that treating the budget as a tool for electioneering, with benefits used to "kickstart the Christmas season," shows a lack of strategic vision and responsibility.
The Party warned that the government's approach-spending heavily while increasing national debt-betrays future generations. Fiscal policy, they argued, should promote prudence, not limitless economic growth that worsens quality of life. The frequent overrunning of project budgets, and cases of careless spending such as the film commissioner's "spending sprees," reflect poor governance. ADPD also condemned the government's decision to waste millions on blanket fuel subsidies, including for those who consume wastefully, calling it evidence of weak political and ethical awareness.
On social justice, ADPD said the budget was regressive. While family-oriented measures were welcome, support disproportionately favoured high-income households over low-income earners. True fairness, they said, would channel resources to the most vulnerable. They also criticised the government's mortgage and first-time buyer subsidies, arguing that such schemes only benefit property developers by inflating housing prices. Instead, the government should help vulnerable families directly and prevent assistance measures from fuelling inflation.
Cacopardo and Mallia said the government's priorities reflect a fixation on money rather than people's wellbeing. The recent public protest against planning permit bills, they added, showed widespread frustration that environmental and social concerns are being ignored. Financial handouts to encourage childbirth, they said, fail to address real pressures facing families-such as the difficulty of balancing work and childcare. Investment in family-friendly policies would have been more meaningful than "glossing over" these problems with cash incentives.
ADPD welcomed the government's intention to raise the ecotax for tourists, long advocated by the Party, but criticised the failure to allocate this revenue directly to local councils for use in tourism-impacted areas. Instead, council funding has been cut by €6 million.
Finally, ADPD condemned the budget's silence on Malta's chronic traffic congestion. Despite the Finance Minister's acknowledgment that drastic action is needed, the government continues to avoid difficult but necessary decisions for fear of political backlash.
The Party concluded that the 2026 Budget demonstrates a government that listens neither to citizens nor to environmental realities. It is, they said, "a budget for today, not for tomorrow" - one that neglects long-term priorities and deepens inequality, environmental degradation, and fiscal irresponsibility.