The coronavirus pandemic saw many of last year’s budget measures put on the back burner as efforts were redirected to help struggling businesses and to finance the public health effort, according to the head of the civil service.  

Addressing a press conference on Friday, Principal Permanent Secretary Mario Cutajar said this year saw the lowest number of budget measures implemented since data started being published seven years ago.    

“There is a reason for this, as we all know, the pandemic that the country and the rest of the world faced had far reaching impact,” he said.  

While in recent years, the government announced an implementation rate of around 72%, this year the government had managed to implement 65% of the measures. 

Many of last year’s measures, he said, could not be implemented due to their very nature.  

The ministries of home affairs, finance, and tourism all had to put off a number of measures, and redirect their efforts, he said.  

Initiatives like the holding of a first-ever national agricultural fair, a new aviation policy, overseas travel for language studies, and the development of Gozo as a international conference centre, had all been left on the back burner.  

Pending measures 'will not be abandoned'

Cutajar was quick to add that this does not mean that the measures would not be introduced at a later stage.  

Finance Minister Edward Scicluna said the pandemic had impacted every country across the world and every facet of public administration, “be it the courts, economy, policy”.  

However, considering the COVID-19 outbreak, Scicluna said it was impressive that Malta had still managed to implement more than 50% of last year’s budget measures.    

Finance Minister Edward Scicluna. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli.

Scicluna said some of Europe’s largest economies were struggling to give citizens financial support. 

“Because of the problem of debt some of the biggest countries are already hinting towards taxes, and phasing out. These are symptoms of weak finances. These are countries that don't have fiscal manoeuvrability. But I can assure you that we do. We have the leeway to sustain this support,” he said.  

Meanwhile, on Saturday, cabinet will meet to approve the final drafts of the budget before it is unveiled by Scicluna in parliament on Monday.   

Last year’s budget had a record of 370 measures, and Cutajar said 1,606 measures had been introduced over last six budgets under Labour administrations.