Prime Minister Robert Abela announced a new grant scheme for parents with three children or more, with a new Labour government pledging €5,000 towards the purchase of a larger vehicle and up to €12,000 if the vehicle is electric.
During a political rally in Żebbuġ on Thursday evening, Abela said that in a bid to assist larger families who face additional expenses compared to other households, a new Labour government would grant parents with three children or more €5,000 for the purchase of a larger vehicle, with the grant increasing to €12,000 if the vehicle is electric.
Abela also announced a new benefit for people aged 61 who choose to remain in employment rather than retire.
In addition to the existing €1,000 “super bonus” and the possibility of transferring additional national insurance contributions to their spouse, a new Labour government would introduce an additional €500 annual benefit over four years, amounting to €2,000 by the time the person reaches retirement age at 65, Abela said.
Another measure Abela announced targeted sustainable construction, with Labour pledging to refund all planning fees for people planning to develop energy-efficient and environmentally sustainable buildings.
Abela said that Labour’s “Int Malta” electoral manifesto, which is set to be presented to delegates on Friday, will be the “most comprehensive manifesto in the party’s history,” containing 25 goals whose success would be measured not simply on implementation, but on how much they improve people’s quality of life and wellbeing.
He said Malta currently possesses “the strongest economic engine in Europe,” arguing that Labour had successfully steered the country through multiple international crises since 2020, including the pandemic, wars, global inflation, logistics crises and energy challenges.
Referring to global fuel prices, Abela said a friend living abroad had recently sent him a photograph showing “shocking” petrol prices, arguing that Maltese families had been protected from similar increases through what he described as Labour’s economic strength and energy policies.
Abela said that while other countries had struggled under these pressures, Malta had maintained stable energy prices and continued creating jobs.
He described Malta as the European country that generated the highest employment growth in the history of the European Union and said international institutions such as the International Monetary Fund had recognised the country’s economic performance.
Taking aim at the Nationalist Party, Abela questioned the credibility and costing of PN proposals, saying journalists who asked about fiscal sustainability had been told to “send an email.”
“These are serious matters,” Abela said, as he questioned whether people could trust “someone who does not even know the basics of the economy” with what he described as Europe’s strongest economy.
He said that economic management required seriousness and experience, adding that Labour’s proposals had been drafted by ministers and what he described as “Team Malta,” behind him.
Abela also mentioned a number of previously announced family-focused proposals, including extending maternity leave to 26 weeks, doubling paternity leave to one month, and introducing six months of fully paid parental leave financed by government.
He said that after a child’s first year, parents would also receive an additional 28 days of leave between the child’s first and second birthday, paid for by government.
The Prime Minister also reiterated Labour’s proposals for first-time buyers, including a scheme through which government would contribute 25% of a property’s value under the “My First Home” initiative, alongside stamp duty exemptions and €1,200 towards notarial expenses.
Abela said families having a second child and moving to a larger home would also be treated as first-time buyers for stamp duty purposes, while therapies for children with disabilities would be fully financed by government.
On pensions, Abela pledged that pensions would increase by at least €50 per week and insisted they would never be taxed under a Labour government regardless of future increases.
He also said that stamp duty on donations linked to property transfers valued up to €1 million would be removed in downsizing cases.
Abela said Labour’s proposals were “credible and feasible”, insisting that investing in families and businesses was “not a risk, but a guarantee.”
He urged supporters to back Labour in the 30 May election, warning that under the PN Malta risked returning to “the incompetence and inexperience” of the pre-2013 years.
