The prime minister has been caught lying yet again
The Malta Independent reports on something which nobody else seems to have noticed: that the budget estimates for Manuel Mallia’s ministry for next year, released yesterday, give a figure of Eur15 million from the sale of passports.
This gives the lie to Joseph Muscat’s repeated boasts that the scheme will bring in Eur30 million next year. You can’t trust anything this man says. He probably had his fingers crossed behind his back when he took his wedding vows.
But wait. I’ve since been told – I can’t find the relevant reference yet – that mention was made of splitting the sum in two, with half going into the National Development (Social Housing) Fund (to build flats for bums or to buy flats for them from the likes of Sandro Chetcuti) and the other half going to Manuel Mallia’s ministry.
WHAT?
That is a story in itself. We have been told repeatedly that the money, less the commission paid to Henley & Partners, would all go into that fund. That is how they sought to persuade us that it would be a good thing.
Nobody ever said that half the money – Eur15 million – would go to Manuel Mallia to play cops and robbers with. Why does Manuel Mallia need Eur15 million?
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http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2013-11-05/news/citizenship-scheme-to-net-half-of-pms-estimate-3099394049/
Watching these guys run the country is like watching a drunken teenager in Paceville juggling a Ming vase.
I’ve seen this but I think the €30 million from the sale of passports were going to be split in two, half going to the Social Development Fund and the other half to Mallia’s ministry.
This figure reproduced by The Independent refers to the money going to the ministry.
[Daphne – Why would half be going to the ministry? Weren’t we told that all the money would be going into the fund? That is a story in itself.]
This was reported by Malta Today.
“From the Individual Investors Programme – set to generate €30 million in its first year in 2014 – the government will be directing €15 million towards the budget and €15 million towards the national development fund.”
http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/en/newsdetails/news/budget2014/Budget-2014-showcase-of-a-government-with-a-plan-PM-20131104
This goes against the relevant law being discussed in Parliament which states that:
” “Contribution” means a contribution to the National Development Fund, in accordance with these Regulations”
http://daphnecaruanagalizia.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Malta-IIP-Regulations-Draft-041013-_3_.pdf
Do you think that the other papers did not notice, or did they deliberately opted to ignore?
Probably eur30 million will come in but only eur15 million will make it to the Fund.
If the names of applicants are to remain secret, what is there to stop the NUMBER of applicants remaining secret as well?
The budget mentions an income of EUR15 million. Anything generated above that figure will disappear…… where?
Maybe our expert salesman intends to keep a double-entry accounting ledger: one for public and tax purposes, the other for personal, party or private consumption.
There is another discrepancy between what was said and what the Budget Estimates 2014 show.
In his budget speech, the Finance Minister mentioned the setting up of a Malta Oil & Gas Corporation. I have looked through the Budget Estimates but cannot find this item anywhere.
Have I missed this item or does this mean that not a single cent is voted for this new corporation?
Anyone for spotting the Malta Oil & Gas Corporation in the budget estimates?
Ah. I did check it out because this corporation immediately looked highly suspect to me. I found nothing.
The opposition should press questions on the Malta Oil & Gas Corporation. What is its function? What is its funding? Who are the shareholders?
You can rest assured that this corporation and other bodies mentioned in the budget are nothing more than opportunities to hand out more jobs to Labour activists or prominent switchers.
His excuse will be that in the budget, they wanted to be conservative on the income side. Unfortunately for us, he us a slimy snake and can keep on fooling the hordes for some time to come. This is made worse through our toothless and spineless journalists.
The €15,000,000 figure was mentioned by the BBC this morning.
‘The scheme will bring in Eur30 million next year.’
‘The budget estimates for next year, released yesterday, give a figure of Eur15 million to be raised by the sale of passports.’
The difference is in the commissions most likely and those won’t show up on the books.
We have a transparent government.
Now we’ll have transparent citizens giving transparent commissions no one will see.
QED
The figure I heard was €200 million. I think they’re under-declaring their targets to look ‘moderate.’
Who are these Tanti family of Naxxar as reported on the Times today?
Xi familja tal-qalba bhas-soltu?
[Daphne – Why, did you want Joseph to come and explain the budget to you? It’s the same tactic used in the election campaign. Anzi ma kienx hemm Michelle bil-handbag kbir ukoll.]
Ma jigux minn Michelle hux ghal li jista’ jkun?
That picture indicates that MLP voters like the Tanti family are so stupid that they need a moron like Joey to explain things to them. Such is the mentality.
The PM’s spouse (always an honour to be in her presence) is Michelle Tanti Muscat. Maybe relatives?
Do you remember when he was Opposition leader and was invited on Xarabank for a debate with Dr. Gonzi and at one point he started calling the PM “liar, liar, liar” (giddieb, int giddieb, giddieb)? Look who’s lying now, Mr. PM?
He can be accused of being a liar but he is definitely a great showman and plays the people’s tune. Obviously he is acting on instructions while being intensively coached by some highly professional people.
Even the lay out of the budget was done in a highly professional way. A lot of hot air but no substance but the impression I got is that all the social partners and the majority of the people are impressed with the proposals on offer and happy with this budget.
Since Joseph Muscat took over the leadership the PL has been extremely successful with its marketing and is still being successful.
There must be a whole PR team behind this massive PL effort.
The only query is how long will it last and when this bubble is going to burst.
It’s beyond belief that they are still pursuing this. Eur15 million is chump change for a country.
Even some companies make that kind of revenue here in Malta.
As you mentioned previously they could have removed the stipend increase and made some other increase to remove this absurd sale of citizenship.
If Joseph Muscat & Co did not make what Lino Spiteri yesterday described as “a rather rash promise” to refund 30 million Euro of VAT paid on car registrations between 2004 and 2008 they would not have had to sell 30 million euro worth of Maltese citizenships.
“The Telegraph says its undercover reporter first met Mr Pritchard when he visited Malta on an official parliamentary trip in July. The MP stayed on the island for five days and met members of the new government with another Tory politician.”
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20131106/local/uk-conservative-mp-offers-business-consultant-services-in-malta-report.493489#.UnoORCh1T5E
http://www.gov.mt/en/Government/Press%20Releases/Pages/2013/July/30/pr1633.aspx
Dalgħodu, l-Ispeaker tal-Parlament ta’ Malta l-Onorevoli Anġlu Farrugia kellu żjara ta’ kortesija miċ-Chairman tal-Grupp InterParlamentari ta’ Ħbiberija bejn il-Parlament ta’ Malta u l-House of Commons, l-Onorevoli Mark Pritchard, li kien akkumpanjat minn Membru Parlamentari Ingliż ieħor imsieħeb f’dan il-Grupp, l-Onorevoli Brian Binley. Matul il-laqgħa qasira ta’ bejniethom, ġie diskuss, fost ħwejjeġ oħra, l-alternattivi li għandhom ikunu kkunsidrati sabiex il-problema tal-immigrazzjoni irregolari tingħata aktar attenzjoni mill-pajjiżi kollha tal-Unjoni Ewropea. Kien hemm qbil f’dan ir-rigward li l-parlamenti nazzjonali għandhom iżommu din it-tema fil-quċċata tal-aġenda tagħhom għaliex din hija problema li mhix ta’ pajjiż wieħed iżda tal-Unjoni kollha u għalhekk għandha tiġi indirizzata kollettivament fl-interess tal-pajjiżi nfushom.
http://www.parlament.mt/file.aspx?f=42654
It seems making mistakes or lying is contagious. Kurt Sansone on page 4 of The Times tries to calculate money left in everyone’s pocket after the budget.
He claims that the savings from a utility bill of €800 will be €200. He forgot to exclude the charge for the meters and that water charge will go down by 5% and not 25% before arriving at this figure. But then we all know that Kurt Sansone blows Muscat’s trumpet.
Question is, who gets bills of 800 Euro and over? It’s certainly not the individual living in social housing. For some 115 sq.m. of living space with all electric appliances and judicious use of Air Conditioners in summer my bill still comes only to around the price of a cappucino a day for water and electricity or around 500 euro a year. Certainly not stuff on which one should have won an election.
I am greatly annoyed at the fact that the majority of the PN MPs did not attend parliament yesterday when the Citizenship Programme was being discussed.
I feel badly let down by this.
Useless telling me that even the PL MPs did not attend because I expect this of them and it came as no surprise.
The PN should realise that now is the time for action, no more small talk and being polite.
The PN owes it to us who voted for them and we should not be ignored because the PN lost the election.
The people who voted PN expect that their loyalty be taken seriously and show that they do care. On our own we cannot do anything but with the right people leading us we are ready for action.
I do however expect the PN to be on the frontline of any eventual protests or is that out of fashion now.
That was the usual ploy for the opposition to call a quorum as there was no government MPs.
He’s on a collision course with the EU, numbers don’t match.
One of the more disturbing moves announced is a 650million euro loan, against what investment isn’t clear.
Then there’s the mystery how growth is achieved. Absolutely no idea how to maintain any edge and innovate wealth creation.
All we got were measures related to property, first time buyers, cash handouts to developers and more, reminiscent of Zapatero’s moves which led to Spain’s property speculation, glut and ultimate disaster.
As you rightly said, as if the market for first time buyers can be artificially increased. All he’ll do is create a spike next year. But that requires a corresponding increase in well paid jobs.
Let’s hope he’s not actually going after the insolvent to stimulate the economy.
How was the Eur30 million amount estimated? The government knows that it will be paid Eur580,000 (650 less 70 commission). That means that they based this figure on a total of approximately 52 passports.
Isn’t it reasonable to suspect that the government already has the details of these 52 applicants?
The Opposition probably did too, but that would have been before the election.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/conservative/10429206/Senior-Conservative-MP-uses-political-contacts-to-further-business-empire.html
For the government to be able to predict such figures, it means that the sale of said passports is only but waiting for the final signature. This means that applicants are not prospective but actual ones.
Ding dong.
I smell a rat. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/conservative/10428423/Mark-Pritchards-international-business-proposals.html
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20131106/local/lower-electricity-tariffs-until-2020.493574
No one sees fit to ask the minister whether the price for the hire of the water and electricity meters will remain stable until 2020 or not.
And therein lies the tale.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20131106/local/lower-electricity-tariffs-until-2020.493574#.Unphi8u9KSM … and, after 2020, we’re well and truly f*cked.
Konrad Mizzi, the husband of the wife who is being paid some Euro 150,000 annually to disappear to somewhere in China, unveiled the reductions in electricity bills.
The “reductions” are nothing but subsidies paid for by new taxes raised indirectly and the savings realised already from the BWSC power plant that came on line last year.
The winning consortium’s actual charge per unit to Enemalta is the key figure and that will never be disclosed properly under the pretext of commercially sensitive information. The same secrecy will apply to the actual price fixing provisions.
The bottom line is that we really did not need the expense of a new power plant, but Labour needed it to sell us the magic of their programme.
I take my hat off to one of the most ingenious political moves whereby Konrad and Muscat have bought a second term in office making the taxpayer foot the bill. Its always the case that Labour never creates wealth but only knows how to re-distribute it.
See how they have redirected large amounts of public funds into their Super One staff and invented ways of increasing their own honoraria and the coffers of the Party.
The Nationalist Party is financially bankrupt after 25 years in government. And that says it all.
perhaps to pay the members of the police force who were not paid for their extra duties by the PN government !
No Eddy, you’ve got it all wrong, as usual. No money was budgeted for the police overtime arrears.
I think the good Doktor Mallia needs the 15m euro to buy silver cutlery to upgrade the force to silver service standard.
I wonder if Minister Mallia intends keeping €15 million in loose cash in his office.
Eddy, your Party is governing now. Stop being an idiot. If the police were not paid for overtime, pay them now. I bet you 150,000 euro will go a long way towards paying a bit of overtime, don’t you think? Instead the taxpayer is paying someone with no fixed address in China who nobody seems to know how in hell she was appointed ‘envoy’!
Now crawl back under that rock.