Malta Budget 2021 – Thoughts and Reflections

Malta Budget 2021 – Thoughts and Reflections

On Monday 19th October 2020, the Minister for Finance Dr. Edward Scicluna delivered Malta’s Budget for the coming year 2021. Here are some of the propositions that were made during such meeting which directly relate to us Gozitans and students.

• The long anticipated Fast Ferry service between Malta and Gozo, which has been promoted and put forward uninterruptedly by us GUG was promised to start its operation as soon as all the difficulties are ironed out. This service is of utmost importance not only to students but also to us Gozitans as a whole as it would render the ‘daily’ commute between the 2 islands effortless in various ways.
• The fourth Gozo Channel Ferry is set to become permanent after a call for offers is issued.
• Another round of €100 government vouchers will be re-distributed to all 16 year olds and above residing on our islands by the end of this year, yet this time with a difference; €60 will be allocated to restaurants and accommodation whilst the remaining €40 can be used in retail outlets.
• Free Internet Access for a year to all students who continue their studies after the age of 16, that is after completing secondary. In addition to this, the government also proposed that there will be an increase in stipends according to pro-rata.
• A regeneration works of Gozo’s main arterial roads was amongst the government’s proposals for the upcoming year. An ingenuity which is being proposed is that of enriching tourist attractions with mosaic murals, together with other decorative features which are to be introduced in Blue Lagoon, Comino.
• With regards to the Tunnel between Malta and Gozo, it is being said that after having completed the first phase (out of 3) of a pre-qualification questionnaire, the next step is that of finding a concessionaire who will be almost fully responsible for this project.
• A new sports complex for the University of Malta is another project which is in the government’s pipeline. This will include facilities for performing a vast array of sports, ranging from a full-size football ground to an Olympic Track. Furthermore, more facilities will also be built at MCAST.
• Another fruitful enterprise which is being put forward by the government is that of transforming Villa Lauri, located in Birkirkara, into an accommodation for students.
• Works on the Gozo Aquatic Centre are planned to continue in the coming months.
• The government is generating new promising opportunities with the introduction of the second fibre optic cable, the Innovation Hub in Xewkija, and also the Astronomical Observatory which is being planned in Nadur. Moreover, the government has in mind a number of projects that suggest and promote our island as a green island, in light of sustainable development.
• Employment Schemes benefitting Gozitan workers will be improved and enhanced. These include the Employment Refund Scheme, the Teleworking Scheme and the MICE Scheme, amongst others.
• Agricultural and Fishery sectors are also promised various incentives which will in turn enrich these sectors.

On behalf of the whole GUG committee, we are pleased to hear about the permanent stay of the fourth Gozo Channel, something which will enable the commute between the two islands to take place in a more efficient manner.

The Fast Ferry Service is something which we, as a Gozitan Organisation, have been discussing and encouraging for the past years. Seeing that it has been mentioned in this year’s Budget encourages us to keep working hard on such issues. We look forward to seeing the fast ferry crossing the channel in the near future as this was and is an issue which has been promised since the start of this legislature.

We expect that the introduction of the second fibre optic cable comes without delay as it will increase job opportunities in Gozo.

By contrast, we are quite dispirited to hear of no proposals regarding crucial issues which relate to students. One of our concerns is how students are not allowed to work over 20hrs a week for them to be eligible to the stipend since some find it financially difficult to keep up with all the expenses. We also expected some extra incentives which will help Gozitan students in their daily travel to Malta which will facilitate their continuation of studies in Malta.

Il-Baġit ta’ Malta 2021 – Ħsibijiet u Riflessjonijiet

Nhar It-Tnejn li għadda, 19 ta’ Ottubru 2020, il-Ministru għall-Finanzi Dr. Edward Scicluna wassal il-Baġit ta’ Malta għas-sena li ġejja 2021. Hawn taħt wieħed għandu jsib uħud mill-proposti li saru waqt din il-laqgħa li għandhom x’jaqsmu direttament magħna l-Għawdxin u l-istudenti.

• Is-servizz tant mistenni tal-‘Fast Ferry’ bejn Malta u Għawdex, li ilu jiġi promoss min naħa taghna bhala GUG għal bosta żmien, ġie mwiegħed li ser jibda l-operat tiegħu hekk kif jissolvew id-difikultajiet kollha relatati. Dan is-servizz huwa ta’ importanza essenzjali mhux biss għalina l-istudenti iżda għall-Għawdxin kollha peress illi dan is-servizz jiffaċilita l-ivvjaġġar ta’ kuljum bejn iż-żewg gżejjer.
• Ir-raba’ vapur tal-Gozo Channel huwa skedat li jsir permanenti wara li tinħareġ sejħa ghall-offerti.
• Skema ohra ta’ € 100 vawċers tal-gvern se terga titqassam lil dawk kolla li għandhom ‘l fuq minn sittax il-sena u huma residenti hawn Malta sal-aħħar ta’ din is-sena, iżda din id-darba b’differenza; € 60 se jiġu allokati għal ristoranti u akkomodazzjoni filwaqt li l- €40 li jifdal jistgħu jintużaw fi ħwienet.
• Aċċess għall-Internet b’xejn għal sena sħiħa għall-istudenti kollha li jkomplu l-istudji tagħhom wara l-età ta’ 16- il sena, jiġifieri wara li jtemmu s-Sekondarja. Minbarra dan, il-gvern ippropona wkoll li jkun hemm żieda fl-istipendji skont il-pro-rata.
• Fost il-proposti tal-Gvern ghas-sena li ġejja, ġew imsemmija xi xogħlijiet ta’ riġenerazzjoni tat-toroq ewlenin ta’ Għawdex. Inġenwità ġdida li qed tiġi proposta hija dik ta’ tisbieħ tal-attrazzjonijiet turistiċi b’murales tal-mużajk, flimkien ma’ karatteristiċi dekorattivi oħra li għandhom jiġu introdotti ġewwa Blue Lagoon, Kemmuna.
• Rigward il proġett tal-Mina bejn Malta u Għawdex, il-gvern ħabbar illi wara li tlestiet l-ewwel fażi (minn 3) ta’ kwestjonarju ta’ qabel il-kwalifikazzjoni, il-pass li jmiss huwa dak li jinstab konċessjonarju li jkun responsabbli għal dan il-proġett.
• Proġett iehor li huwa maħsub għas-sena li ġejja huwa dak ta’ kumpless sportiv ġdid għall-Università ta ’Malta. Dan se jinkludi faċilitajiet għat-twettiq ta’ firxa vasta ta’ sports, li jvarjaw minn ground tal-futbol għa track olimpiku. Barra minn hekk, se jinbnew ukoll aktar faċilitajiet fl-MCAST.
• Intrapriża oħra produttiva li ġiet imressqa mill-gvern hija dik li tittrasforma Villa Lauri, li tinsab f’Birkirkara, f’akkomodazzjoni għall-istudenti.
• Ix-xogħlijiet fuq iċ-Ċentru Akkwatiku ta ’Għawdex huma ppjanati li jkomplu fix-xhur li ġejjin.
• Il-gvern qed jiġġenera opportunitajiet promettenti ġodda bl-introduzzjoni tat-tieni kejbil tal-fibra ottika, l-Innovation Hub fix-Xewkija, kif ukoll l-Osservatorju Astronomiku li qed jiġi ppjanat fin-Nadur. Barra minn hekk, il-gvern għandu f’moħħu numru ta ‘proġetti li jissuġġerixxu u jippromwovu l-gżira tagħna bħala gżira sostenibli fis-snin illi ġejjin.
• Bosta skemi tal-impjiegi li jibbenefikaw lill-ħaddiema Għawdxin se jiġu imtejba fiż-żmien illi ġej fosthom, l-Iskema ta’ Rifużjoni fuq l-Impjiegi, l-Iskema tat-Teleworking u l-Iskema MICE.
• Is-Settur Agrikolu u dak tas-Sajd huma wkoll imwiegħda diversi inċentivi sabiex jiġu imtejjba.

F’isem il-kumitat tal-GUG kollu, ninsabu kuntenti dwar il-permanenza tar-raba’ vapur tal-Gozo Channel illi għandu jiffaċilita l-vjaġġ bejn iż-żewġ gżejjer u jsir b’mod aktar effiċjenti.

Is-Servizz tal-Fast Ferry huwa xi ħaġa li aħna, bħala Organizzazzjoni Għawdxija, ilna niddiskutu u ninkoraġġixxu għal dawn l-aħħar snin. Meta naraw illi dan is-servizz ġie msemmi waqt il-Baġit ta ’din is-sena, nimtlew kuraġġ sabiex inkompu naħdmu bis-sħiħ fuq kwistjonijiet bħal dawn. Aħna nħarsu ‘l quddiem biex naraw il-fast ferry fis-sehh mingħajr dewmien peress li din hija kwistjoni li ġiet imwiegħda mill-bidu nett ta’ din il-leġislatura. Nistennew bil-ħerqa wkoll li l-introduzzjoni tat-tieni kejbil tal-fibra ottika tiġi mingħajr dewmien sabiex jiżdiedu l-opportunitajiet ta’ xogħol f’Għawdex.

Madanakollu, ninsabu pjuttost diżappuntati li ma nisimgħu bl-ebda proposta rigward kwistjonijiet kruċjali li għandhom x’jaqsmu mal-istudenti. Waħda mit-tħassib tagħna hija kif l-istudenti mhumiex permessi jaħdmu aktar minn 20-il siegħa fil-ġimgħa biex ikunu eliġibbli għall-istipendju. Dan ghaliex, bosta studenti isibuha diffiċli finanzjarjament biex ilaħħqu mal-ispejjeż kollha. Stennejna wkoll xi inċentivi li ghandhom jgħinu lill-istudenti Għawdxin fl-ivvjaġġar tagħhom lejn Malta ta’ kuljum bl-ghan li jiffaċilitaw il-kumplament tal-istudji tagħhom f’Malta.