Social policy shadow minister Paula Mifsud Bonnici this evening accused the government of indiscriminately and unjustly stripping people of social benefits in an attempt to save money while it squandered millions on a select few.
Dr Mifsud Bonnici was speaking during the debate on the financial estimates of the Ministry for the Family and Social Solidarity.
She spoke about the case of an individual who suffers from acute depression who had his social benefits stopped after someone reported seeing him lifting a box in front of his home. This person was even asked to refund the benefits he was given in previous months. An arbiter later ruled that the government's decision was wrong. "This person was lucky to have someone to help him, but what about those who are not so lucky. This is nothing but an attempt by the government to save money," Dr Bonnici said, insisting that the government should not stop any social benefits unless it had a good reason to back its decision up and only after it gave the concerned individuals the chance to explain themselves.
The PN MP said another injustice had been carried out when the government decided to increase rent for social housing. "The government is lying when it says the PN had increased the rents. The PN had decided not to tax the poor." She said that the government had, after three years, realised its mistake and announced it would revert prices back to 2013 levels.
Dr Mifsud Bonnici said there was a record of 3,300 applications for social housing. "Instead of reducing the list the government seems instead of increasing it."
She accused the government of trying to mislead with numbers, insisting that what people wanted was to live a decent life through facts, not figures. The shadow minister said the budget failed to address the middle class and the business community and was full of recycled measures. "The government has been going on about how this has been a social budget. If anything this proves that it had previously done nothing for the needy."
She said poverty among the elderly had increased and measures on pensions were not enough. Dr Mifsud Bonnici said not all pensioners would get a tax reduction. There were many who already did not pay tax and still could not make ends meet.
The announced €2.25 supplementary increase was not enough to pull them out of poverty. Besides, this will only be given to married pensioners while those who are single have been forgotten.
Dr Mifsud Bonnici said the government had only allocated €300,000 to help some 41,000 people buy food. This amounted to some 61 cents each. On the other hand it had found millions to give to people like Gaffarena and the former owners of Café Premier.
from The Malta Independent http://ift.tt/2evMdjJ
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