The tax-free threshold for working pensioners to be added over and above to the pension allowance will be raised to €15,000 under a Nationalist government, the PN promised on Saturday.

Currently, the tax-free ceiling for pensioners is €14,318 and during the last budget, the Labour Party had said pensions would not be taxed from 2026.

The proposal was among a number of electoral promises the PN made in support of the elderly. It included an increase in the carer allowance, a reduction in electricity and water meter rentals, medicine rebates, and increased internet accessibility.

Shadow minister for the elderly Maria Deguara said the party was pledging to raise the live-in carer allowance to €192 a week from €96, and putting up the carer allowance for bed-ridden persons to €288 a week from €149.

This would apply to persons with a severe disability too, so their families could get the support they deserve to take care of them at home.

Apart from this, a Nationalist government would also help offset the rising cost of living on the elderly by reducing the cost of electricity and water meter rentals by 50%, amounting to savings of approximately €64 a year, she said. 

This would apply to all households where there was at least one pensioner living, and would benefit around 56,000 households.

The elderly who need access to medicines that cannot be found on the Government Formulary List but who should be entitled to these medicines for free, will also be eligible for a rebate, said PN spokesperson Peter Agius.

To encourage elderly people to remain connected with family and the community, especially through digital means, a prospective Nationalist government would incentivise internet providers to reduce basic internet service charge for seniors to €5 a month.

Studies have shown that 60% of the elderly are not using this technology and the State has an obligation to help them gain access to the digital world especially since this would help reduce loneliness, he said.