Malta Must re-examin The Welfare State

[Gladiator]

http://www.maltastar.com/pages/msfullart.asp?an=7845

Euro adoption not enough - CBM Governorhttp://www.maltastar.com/images/system/1px.gif18 November 2006http://www.maltastar.com/images/system/1px.gifThe adoption of the Euro is not enough to make Malta more competitive. This was stated by Michael C Bonello, the governor of the Central Bank of Malta when he was addressing the Institute for Financial Services.

Mr Bonello said that Malta should find ways and means to increase productivity in order to become more competitive in international markets. He said that to achieve this there should be a better allocation and use of the country’s resources. In this context Mr Bonello added that public expenditure on welfare, higher education and health should be reexamined in detail.

What have I been advocating for the past year on this forum? I was always right then. Wait till we will hear some Guru speaking about the introduction of Property Tax!

[shadow cup]

What really gets me about these calls for review is that they are usually made by individuals or parties with diametrically opposed interests to the matters concerned.

It is like having the central bank saying that expenditure on life-support ought to be reviewed. Let us not confuse life-issues with profit-margins...

Reform should be carried out but not by individuals with largely opposing interests.

[Marco Polo]

looks like someone has been reading vm!

[Gladiator]

What really gets me about these calls for review is that they are usually made by individuals or parties with diametrically opposed interests to the matters concerned.

It is like having the central bank saying that expenditure on life-support ought to be reviewed. Let us not confuse life-issues with profit-margins...

Reform should be carried out but not by individuals with largely opposing interests.

The Governor of the Central Bank of Malta is the right person to speak about such things and with gusto too. Who else is going not to point out the imbalances of the Government's expendituers if not the Governor of the Central Bank?

Come on Shadow_Cup, Malta has been on life support for a long time. We are living beyond our means. On borrowed money and borrowed time.

[shadow cup]

Come on Shadow_Cup, Malta has been on life support for a long time. We are living beyond our means. On borrowed money and borrowed time.

I do recognize that opinion of a high-ranking person within the central bank is a valid one. I am more concerned about the logical conclusion of a bank's interests - low expenditure and high profit. It is for this reason that I regard the opinion with some waryness (plus I was bushed when I typed in that piece).

But your point is taken.

[Marco Polo]

i agree with both sides of the argument here. perhaps this is governments way of doing what needs to be done. just as the eu gets the blame for unpopular laws that the government lacks the balls to adopt, the same can be done with this.

where we need to start is by an increase in efficiency and that includes a clampdown on corruption. we need to start at the top and work our way down. hard labour sentences would be nice for corrupt ministers along with paying back what was stolen with interest.

the welfare state is a waste of cash as anyone with a brain knows. as soon as that is slashed there will be less demand for nigggers to come here too.

[umberto]

abuses should be curbed, but i would hate my country if it leaves any citizen to starve or die, when it is not of his own fault. what sort of society would that be to be proud of?

on the other hand, no one should be given what he does not deserve. in such cases it would be futile to cut a line. Every case has to be treated on its own.

malta is small, and it is not that we have an over generous benefits. primarily because it is not being afforded. some reform is required, as is being done, but it can be made just and affordable.

yet with the taxes i pay, i would pretend free health care. otherwise i would justly demand a reduction.

[Gladiator]

abuses should be curbed, but i would hate my country if it leaves any citizen to starve or die, when it is not of his own fault. what sort of society would that be to be proud of?

on the other hand, no one should be given what he does not deserve. in such cases it would be futile to cut a line. Every case has to be treated on its own.

malta is small, and it is not that we have an over generous benefits. primarily because it is not being afforded. some reform is required, as is being done, but it can be made just and affordable.

yet with the taxes i pay, i would pretend free health care. otherwise i would justly demand a reduction.

Ofcourse Umberto why let some fall into the cracks of society. However your income taxes will not go down if welfare is not reassessed. Income tax should be removed completly.
But no you don't get free health care. Go get your own private insurance. Malta cannot affard the present state of funding for health care and education, least you keep getting the free services that you think you are getting with the present taxes. Remember the Malta government has a problem collecting those personal income tax, so why try to spend money on money not spent?

Got the idea now? IE on taxes and welfare. The means of production the citizen keeps whatever he or she is capable of earning. Education and health care are the citizen's responsibility.

[dust commander]

Since when does the Governor of the Central Bank has any say in what the government does?
Remember the ombudsman and the "Radio Mediterran", they started investigating him when he pointed out irregularities.
As long as morons keep voting for them, and as long as the EU keeps giving them "money owed" they'll keep on doing what they've been doing.
Waste the public's money.

[Marco Polo]

Ofcourse Umberto why let some fall into the cracks of society. However your income taxes will not go down if welfare is not reassessed. Income tax should be removed completly.
But no you don't get free health care. Go get your own private insurance. Malta cannot affard the present state of funding for health care and education, least you keep getting the free services that you think you are getting with the present taxes. Remember the Malta government has a problem collecting those personal income tax, so why try to spend money on money not spent?

Got the idea now? IE on taxes and welfare. The means of production the citizen keeps whatever he or she is capable of earning. Education and health care are the citizen's responsibility.

smaller gov would solve so many problems. we are over taxed by a wasteful government.

[umberto]

wasteful indeed. a 2 km road in gozo will cost a million maltese liri. a large part of maltese taxes are going to the few contractors who seems that they have a free hand to make excessive profits. politically, the govt. will pay for that, for ultimately it is still one man one vote.

they may give some money back for electioneering. but billboards never won an election.

[Marco Polo]

have you worked out how much government gets in road tax alone?

then get angry when you go to the mechanic. ;)

you know whats even worse? the roads that they are building arent even built right. the romans had better know how!

do you know that in the UK roadbuilders have to give a 13 year guarantee with their work?