The Nationalist Party has pledged that if it wins the upcoming general election, a PN government will give all youths in their first 10 years of employment a full exemption on income tax for a period of five consecutive years. This will be capped to youths earning not more than €50,000 per year.

A series of proposals targeting youth in the Malta were announced during a PN press conference on Friday morning, including this five-year full income tax exemption for all youths who do not earn more than €50,000 annually.

This five-year income tax exemption will apply to all youths who have resided in Malta for at least 10 of the last 15 years and entered the workforce as either an employee or self-employed.

Announced by PN candidate Joseph Grech, who is contesting the 11th and 12th districts, Grech said that rather than applying this tax exemption on youths' first five years in employment, the Nationalist Party decided that, should it be elected to office at the end of the month, youths will be able to choose when the five consecutive years free of income tax will kick in, so that they can time this for when they need it most.

Grech said that youths who are already in the workforce and are still in their first decade of employment will be eligible for this scheme, once it is launched.

In Malta, "youths" refers to all persons aged 35 and under.

Opposition leader Alex Borg said that youths in Malta must be "given the opportunity to save up, work, study, buy their first property, live in a safe country, and have peace of mind living in Malta and Gozo."

He pledged that a Nationalist government would ensure that youths are "an absolute, national priority" by helping their dreams become reality.

Borg said that to fulfil their ambitions, youths must be equipped with the tools to be empowered to work and live in the Maltese islands, as well as purchase a property within the country to build a future here.

The measures announced during this press conference were then shared in detail Grech and the PN's spokesperson for youth, Bernice Bonello.

Grech also announced several pledges that the PN will undertake to boost homeownership rates among youths.

He announced that a PN government would provide a stamp duty exemption of up to €350,000 for first-time buyers, to reduce the fiscal burden on couples purchasing their first property.

Grech said that when the Nationalist Party refers to first-time buyers in these pledges, it is not just referring to youths. The PN also aims to include persons who, due to "unfortunate circumstances" such as separations and divorces, must purchase another property later in life.

He said that the PN wants to address the difficulties faced by these people, who are often in their forties and fifties, who may find it more difficult to receive a home loan given their situations.

Grech reiterated the PN's proposals, that were first announced on Wednesday, to cover half of all interest payments on the first ten years of a mortgage, and its measure for first-time buyers to receive interest-free assistance by the government to cover the deposit on properties costing up to €450,000.

Regarding the interest rebate, Grech said that the Nationalist Party estimates that 2,500 people will benefit from this each year.

Going into further detail, he said that the PN estimates to cover an interest rate of 1.25%, and that as a result, applicants will save a bit over €3,000 each year.

Grech also shared the costings for this measure. He said that if the PN wins the general election this May, it will look to launch this scheme as early as this August - giving five months to cover for 2026.

For these five months of the year, the PN's estimated cost totalled to €2.8 million to cover an estimated 900 applicants.

He added that by the end of 2027, after adding a further 2,500 applicants, this scheme is approximated to cost €10.5 million.

Grech said that after ten years, i.e., at full capacity in 2035, the cost of this interest rebate is expected to rise to €60.5 million.

He said that through these proposals mainly targeting youths, "we will help youths reach their ambitions. These proposals will leave more money in their pockets so that they can enjoy their lives."

Bonello announced that a PN government plans to promote private pensions for the country's youths by committing itself to deposit €1,000 straight into the accounts for youths' private pension plans each year for a period of five years.

Through this, people aged 35 and under with a private pension will receive €5,000 going towards it by the end of the five years.

This Youth Pension Kick Start has an estimated starting cost of €8.2 million and a net cost of €13.8 million, she said.

Bonello said that the PN wants to raise student stipends by 25% in hopes that less students feel obliged to get a job while fulfilling their studies, so that they can better focus on their education and not miss out in their student lives.

Bonello also announced that all youth students who are parents, i.e., 35 or younger, will have their stipends upgraded to be equivalent to the minimum wage.

Other measures announced in this press conference were the launching of educational initiatives to reduce mental stigma and to make sexual health services more accessible and known.