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Sailing smoothly through choppy waters – Videoblog 67
In his weekly video blog, the Minister for Finance Prof. Edward Scicluna welcomes the recently-published appraisal by the European Commission, which describes Malta as sailing smoothly through choppy waters. He notes that the Commission’s report highlights two main aspects: Malta’s current performance, as well as it expected performance for the coming years. The Minister remarks…
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Malta joins 50 other countries and jurisdictions in the fight against tax evasion – Videoblog 66
In his weekly video blog, Minister for Finance Prof. Edward Scicluna explains that last week, he was invited to attend Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes, which took place on 28th and 29th October 2014 in Berlin. Prof. Scicluna explains that during the Forum, Malta joined 50 other states…
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COLA issue explained – Videoblog 65
Minister for Finance Prof. Edward Scicluna discusses the Cost of Living Adjustment, and the Opposition’s claims that it was somehow positive that during the previous administration the COLA increase was comparatively higher. Minister Scicluna explains that the COLA mechanism was originally introduced by the Nationalist Administration in 1991 and was established specifically to be…
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Draft Budget 2015 published – Videoblog 64
Minister for Finance Prof. Edward Scicluna discusses the recently-published Draft Budget, which was submitted to the European Commission by the Ministry for Finance on 15th October. He explains that the Draft Budget is an official document required from all European Member States by the Commission, submitted annually in October. This is the second time that…
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Pre Budget Consultation process yields results – Videoblog 63
In this video blog Minister for Finance Prof. Edward Scicluna explains that during the past weeks, no less than eight consultative meetings related to the coming budget took place, all part of the Pre Budget 2015 Consultation process. He explains that these meetings included three meetings held directly with the public across the whole…
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Government to lead by example on Green Procurement – Videoblog 62
During this video blog, Minister for Finance Prof. Edward Scicluna discusses the challenges posed by climate change. He notes that despite clear scientific proof that the phenomenon is a tangible risk, there is globally considerable reluctance to address it. He notes that one of the challenges of addressing climate change is that corrective action is…
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Private sector driving Malta’s growth – Videoblog 61
In this video blog, Minister for Finance Prof. Edward Scicluna discusses the role of the private sector when it comes to the generation of employment, as this sector is the driving force behind the creation of quality employment and economic growth. Minister Scicluna underlines that the Labour Government is a pro-business government which believes in…
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Jury still out on pensions – Videoblog 60
During his weekly video blog, the Minister for Finance Prof. Edward Scicluna discusses the issue of sustainable pensions and how these can be achieved and safeguarded in the long-term so as to assure peace of mind now and in the future. Prof. Scicluna explains that this can be done in various ways according to various…
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Government’s Vision for Budget 2015 – Videoblog 59
Minister for Finance Prof. Edward Scicluna discusses the recently unveiled Pre Budget Document 2015, and the vision it lays out for the upcoming Budget 2015. Prof. Scicluna explains that the government’s vision for the Budget 2015 will look towards ensuring that social welfare reflects the government’s objective of creating opportunities while discouraging dependencies. At the…
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Foreign Direct Investment picks up – Videoblog 58
In this video blog Finance Minister Prof. Edward Scicluna discusses recently-published NSO figures pertaining to foreign investment, and explains that investment is considered important because investment allows the purchase of capital such as machinery or staffing, which in turn leads to economic growth for the country. Prof. Scicluna explains that foreign investment is also…