Government spent €389,753 on 2026 budget information campaign

The government spent €389,753.23 on the Budget 2026 advertising campaign, according to information tabled in parliament on Wednesday.

Nationalist MP Jerome Caruana Cilia asked Prime Minister Robert Abela to provide a full account of the total expenditure on the campaign.

In his reply, Abela outlined several measures announced in the budget and confirmed the amount spent on the information campaign.

“I am informed that the expenditure for this information campaign amounted to €389,753.23,” the prime minister said.

Abela explained that part of the campaign involved the launch of the website budget.gov.mt, which provides information on the main budget measures.

He added that the government also promoted the freephone service (153), which allows members of the public to ask questions about how the measures affect them.

According to the prime minister, the service began receiving “hundreds of questions and requests regarding how the announced measures would directly impact the public” from the day after the budget was announced.

“These services need to be advertised so that the public is informed of where to access this information. For this purpose, the government’s official social media channels and other traditional media outlets were used, including newspapers, television and radio,” Abela said.

The amount spent on the advertising campaign for the 2026 Budget is significantly higher than the amount spent the previous year.

Caruana Cilia had also asked the prime minister how much was spent on the information campaign related to the 2025 Budget.

Abela said that €280,047 had been spent on that campaign.

According to the prime minister, that amount covered the budget website, promotion of the freephone service and advertising on social media and traditional media outlets, including television, radio and newspapers.

The 2026 Budget was presented in October last year. Abela described it as “the best Budget in the history of investment”, amounting to €9.3 billion.

The budget focused mainly on supporting families while maintaining economic growth and stable public finances.

One of the flagship measures is income tax cuts for parents, with new tax bands for families with children aimed at reducing the tax burden.

Pensioners received a €10 weekly increase, while workers benefited from a €4.66 weekly Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA).

Children’s allowances and birth or adoption grants also increased.

The budget also included housing measures, such as making the first-time buyer scheme permanent and extending deposit assistance schemes.

Meanwhile, the tourist eco-contribution was increased to €1.50 per night, with the revenue earmarked for environmental projects.