Watch: Tax rebate cheque is a ‘populist’ insult, Delia says

The tax rebate cheques sent out by the government are an insult and a joke, PN leader Adrian Delia said on Wednesday.

Speaking during an interview on Net FM, Dr Delia questioned the timing of the tax rebate cheques sent in the post a few weeks ago. The cheques always came round before an election or if there was "some battle the government wants to wage", he said.

"People are realising the government is making fun of them," Dr Delia said, adding it was a populist move to try to buy off people's vote. The government instead, should look at improving our taxation system, he added.

Speaking on Workers' Day, Dr Delia said the government needed to look at better incentives to improve the economy. The government had conceded it needed a long-term plan, with Finance Minister Edward Scicluna admitting authorities were looking to take a more prudent approach to economic growth following unprecedented development.

This, Dr Delia said, meant the government justified all that the Opposition has been saying in the past 18 months since he was elected. 

Economic growth in Malta was like a cake, he said: the cake kept on growing, but people’s slice of the cake remained stuck at the same size.