Bernard Grech, on Sunday, promised tax cuts “for everyone” if the Nationalist Party is elected to government, adding that pensioners and widows who do not pay tax will also be given an allowance.

“We will be reducing tax for everyone because the people who pay tax deserve to be rewarded, and having lower taxes will increase economic activity,” the Nationalist Party leader told a crowd of supporters in Żejtun. 

Grech singled out parents saying that the tax rate paid by mothers and fathers will be reduced even further under a PN government.

The special parent’s rate will not be capped to when their children turn 18 but will remain as long as the children are studying, he said. 

“Raising children is an investment for the entire country,” he said.

Grech said parents of children with disabilities would get additional help. “They have extraordinary challenges,” he said. 

Pensioners and widows who do not work and therefore do not pay tax would not be left behind under a PN government, Grech said. They would be receiving an allowance to improve their purchasing power. 

As the Budget date draws near, Bernard Grech again called on the government to “stop stealing from the people” by taxing COLA. 

The Cost of Living Adjustment, which is a pay increase to make up for inflation, is not forked out by the government but by employers, Grech said. 

“The government taxes that, and so is stealing from you and your employer,” he said. 

“Everyone agrees with this proposal, including the (traditionally labour-leaning) General Workers Union. Only Finance Minister Clyde Caruana and Prime Minister Robert Abela don’t agree”. 

He said tax credits should be given to private employers to make up for COLA.

“Otherwise, the increase in COLA just creates a vicious cycle because an increase in operation costs will lead to higher prices”.

The PN activity in Zejtun on Sunday morning.

Grech was speaking four years since he took over the leadership of the PN. 

He highlighted the work of the party since 2020, including its pressure for a public inquiry into the construction site death of Jean Paul Sofia, and its campaign for the government to recover€400 million given to “crooks” in the Vitals hospitals deal. 

He noted that the PN had long been talking about the effects of overpopulation and the PL government’s economic model. Now everyone, including the government, was making the same points. 

He said a Malta Today survey showing the PN leading the PL in the polls was a testament to all the good work done by everyone in the party over the years. 

A Broadcasting Authority survey showing the PN’s media arm - Net - as Malta’s most popular private television station was another great achievement, he said. 

“Our ultimate aim is not just to be in government, but to bring the needed changes for Malta when we are in Government,” the PN leader said.