No 2010 surplus? Blame it on pre-election spending spree
Julia Farrugia
With over 1,000 public sector jobs dished out before the March 8 election, the government sowed the seeds for the spiralling deficit which it now blames on the international financial crisis.
Research carried out by sister paper Illum revealed last Sunday that between October 2007 and April 2008, Government had created no fewer than 1,065 new jobs within the public sector.
Of these, one-third (594) were doled out between January and March 2008.
Defending his administration’s budget at a press conference on Monday, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi cited a European Commission report which attributed the failed budgetary projections to a number of factors, including the subsidies on energy, and early retirement schemes at the Dockyard.
But Dr Gonzi omitted to mention that the Commission also highlighted a marked increase in government expenditure, particularly on wages in the public sector.
Asked by MaltaToday about the role played by pre-election spending in the off-target budget estimates, Gonzi stressed that his government had no option but to honour previously established commitments. He further justified the expenditure by adding that recruitment had been carried out in three essential sectors: education, health, and the police force.
For his part, Finance Minister Tonio Fenech also insisted that in the 12 months between June 2007 and June 2008, the workforce within the public sector declined by 1.1 %: a total of over 500 jobs.
However, figures released by the Office of the Prime Minister show that between October 2007 and April 2008, the government recruited 1,065 new employees, and apart from jobs in the police force, the education and health sector, other civil servants’ posts were also filled.
These include 215 clerks, 26 substitute clerks, 66 public officers, six economics officers, eight part time judicial assistants, four notaries and an information officer.
Any comments?
If you wish your comments to be published in our Letters pages please click button below. Please write a contact number and a postal address where you may be contacted.
Download front page in pdf file format
All the interviews from Reporter on MaltaToday's YouTube channel.
Green initiatives, or hidden taxes? British literary heavyweight Samuel Johnson once claimed that “patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.” Were he alive today instead of the 18th century, Dr Johnson might well have made the same remark about “environmentalism” instead.
Artists, art critics and friends unanimously gather to remember the impact and value of Ebba von Fersen Balzan’s work and her strong connection with the Maltese islands
