Government salaries increase by EUR3 million
Published:
May 27, 2014 at 1:32am
Times of Malta reports today on a talk the Finance Minister gave:
During the first three months of this year, the government increased its revenue by €30 million over projections while expenditure increased by €22 million. He said that government salaries only increased by €3 million.
Government salaries don’t increase. Any increase is the result of new people being put on the state payroll. Who are all these people?
And Enemalta owes Eur135 million in excise to the government, but that’s all right because Enemalta is going to have money ploughed in from China and that money will make good for the payment.
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http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20140526/local/enemaltas-dues-to-government-reach-135m-china-deal-crucial.520657
Curiously Enemalta’s debt to the government for excise doubled in the past year.
If I recall correctly there was an article about how Scicluna marked this debt as paid in order to reduce the deficit to below 3%. Now he’s saying that it cannot be paid unless the China deal goes through.
Who put this fool in charge of the country’s finances?
If the Chinese are making good for Enemalta’s dues on excise that means that yes, the Chinese are replenishing public coffers for we all paid for our fuel inclusive of excise and Enemalta kept the money. I would assume same with VAT.
Some ministries have apparently employed several new workers in the run-up to the election.
And did we honestly expect Labour to lose votes en masse? Admittedly, I was feeling rather optimistic last Sunday morning. It’ll serve me a lesson.
PL’s Croatian faction, Hrvatski Laburisti, failed to get a seat with just 3.46% of the vote. Here’s their site – it’s all in code: http://www.laburisti.com/
By the way, rumours have it that Alfred Sant, self-described as a ‘euro-realist’ who favours the “concept of a Europe of nations” – as opposed to a eurosceptic who, one presumes, prefers a Europe of city states and hamlet kingdoms – is having second thoughts on joining his comrades in the federalist socialist group.
Sources close to his cabinet drawer reveal that he is toying with the idea of joining the Eurorealists for Nations group, which detractors falsely claim does not exist.
It’s going to be one of those historic imbagħad-qam-u-qalilhom moments. Otherwise, it’ll be a five-year snooze.
The previous administration sold a major public telecoms country to the equally tyrannical UAE, and this when it was making a profit. If the above is bad, this is equally bad and shady.
What would not have been right was if these 135 million were burdened on the public, again, as the previous administration would have done.
The difference that SuperOne never highlights, dear Floater, is that in return the Chinese are getting a majority stake in many sectors of the economy and will be able to wield great power in international fora, particularly within the European Parliament.
Do you think that big cowboy Joe Muscat will not have to kow tow to his Chinese masters? Muscat is a puppet, a Chinese one. And he will have to dance to the tune of the Chinese otherwise nasty things will happen.
Before blindly repeating Labour mantras, I suggest you spend about a year in China to learn the ways of the Chinese. You will return a changed man or woman and no longer a floater.
Otherwise ten points for your attentiveness to Labour mantras aimed only at generating mindless repetition and brain washing.
Can you seriously not distinguish between a service provider (GO) that is just one player in a competitive market, and a monopoly service provider (Enemalta)?
You miss the point you fools. The Chinese stake in Enemalta is an investment not a sellout. Fools all of you!
The Chinese stake in Enemalta is a political investment for China.
It is neither a commercial not a political investment for Malta. On the contrary, it is a liability on both counts.
Eur135million is chicken feed to China. To Enemalta it is a way of paying its debts. Where’s the investment factor for Malta?
Buying into Enemalta is but one step to controlling Malta’s entire power supply for at least 18 years and, thereby, controlling its economy and its voice in international fora. Where’s the political investment for Malta?
You also overlook the fact that payment for Enemalta’s shares goes to government, and not to Enemalta. A company cannot own its own shares. It’s government that does in this case, and government that will receive payment.
Enemalta’s debts to government will not be cancelled by government selling its shares to China, unless government adopts the sort of creative accounting made infamous by the MLP.
Enemalta assets cannot cover the debt owned to the government. The government as former owner of the shares will pocket the proceeds from the Chinese. Enemalta as debtor still has to settle its dues.
These are two completely different issues, but then again this government fails to make a distinction between itself and the LP. It’s called “kollox but wiehed” mentality.
Apparently last week there were loads of last-minute desperate attempts to promote and transfer people in government and riding rough shod over all procedures these were implemented. Tax payers will pick up the tab.
Let us not kid ourselves into believing that previous governments did not resort to these tactics but usually it was on the eve of a general election and not for EP elections just one year into term.
PL has continued to set very high people’s expectations of getting whatever they want on a personal basis. This will eventually be their downfall as they will not manage to continue satisfying the demands they themselves have encouraged.
Is it by coincidence that a ‘tongue-in-cheek’ appeal I had made against a traffic offence ticket was accepted on the 23rd May and the fine withdrawn?
It must have been a very busy day, with building permits rushed through, refunds issued, new jobs promised, medicines suddenly being found, etc.! How can you ever beat such tactics?
We need a general election every year.
Three million euros refers only to the civil service.
By how much did the salary costs of government agencies increase?
More salary costs result in less funds being available for other purposes.
For example, the tens of thousands of euros wasted on Michelle Buttigieg in New York, could have been used by the Malta Tourism Authority for more marketing in closer European markets.
But Michelle Buttigieg is the business partner of Michelle Muscat. A well deserved salary for some savings in their joint account in case Mrs Muscat needs to do her shopping from New York.
But the whole point of such an exercise is not cost effectiveness but WHO the beneficiary is of course!
Government salaries increase. These are the same strategies that previous MLP governments used, the so called power of incumbency where any government in power is able to dish out favours in exchange for votes.
Yes, for those of us who remember, it is the drydocks, public works and Task Force all over again.
“He said that government salaries only increased by €3 million.”
I understand that the only Euro 3 million is for the three months,or am I wrong?.
That is Eur3million in 3 months. Eur12million per year.
“Government salaries don’t increase”: not quite. All government employees receive an annual increment in terms of collective agreements in addition to the cost of living increase. These must be taken into account, apart from salaries due to new employees, when considering the increase in the global figure of government salaries.
Where is Privitera now? Let us await for him to enlighten us on this daylight robbery by his PM and Labour cronies.
3million Euro, you make it sound as such a big amount when in actuall fact it is just a bit over 1 million old Maltese Liri. big deal.
It’s 1 million euros a month, Silvio.
You ought to know how many people you could employ with that amount.
Seeing the 1 million isn’t in promotions, then it must be in new jobs.
If Muscat is not simply buying votes, then the country’s private sector is in serious job creation problem which will snowball into a grave financial problem on a national scale eventually.
What may not seem as a big deal to you now (but I’m sure it does because you’re no fool) will become a big deal in time, unless serious job creation in the private sector doesn’t materialise fast.
If it isn’t such a big deal, why is government selling out to China?
If people are paying for that blondie cop to be entertained with a job, I really wonder what the next excuse will be.
Sorry to say the obvious but I hope that there is a clear distinction between revenue and inflows of investment. One of inflows of investment should not be treated as revenue income. Any fool can sell off its assets!
I wonder if Public Sectors Accounts in Malta have started to follow the accounting standards of IPSAS. (International Public Sector Accounting Standards).
Standards ..What are standards?
More like stun-darts (for the electorate).
The elusive sixth seat may end up depending in the second and third preference votes of those who voted far- right as first choice.
A pyrrhic victory indeed.
In the best Mintoffian tradition, Joseph Muscat will have become a multimillionaire long before he retires from politics.
Minn tieghek u taghna lkoll hergin dawk it-3 miljuni. Kemm sirt sinjur mela tul il-gvernijiet Nazzjonalisti, Sur Loporto?
A lot of them are at the law courts. One section has 4 messengers where two are enough
http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2014-05-27/news/alfred-sant-still-sole-mep-5193433089/
“Labour party agent Frank St.John”. He’s also a customer care agent or whatever they call them nowadays at the Office of the Prime Minister. Are OPM employees allowed to also be party agents? More pertinently, is he on leave or just away from the office on full pay?
Also, talking about multiple pay & pensions, this same person was in the police force and retired after 25 years service (pension #1), took up a job at Telemalta and retired at 61 (pension #2), now he’s employed at OPM and receiving a salary.
Wonder of wonders, imbaghad jghajjru lin-Nazzjonalisti hniezer dawn in-nies.
Since 2005 the EU has encouraged member states to adopt IPSAS as its accounting policy. I recollect that the MLP argued that Malta needed to adopt an accrual accounting policy and not the current cash accounting.
If they follow through with this request then they should adopt the IPSAS standards and one of the most interesting of these is IPSAS 20.
Please have a look at the following link:-
https://www.ifac.org/sites/default/files/publications/files/ipsas-20-related-party-di.pdf