Malta Opposition Leader Alex Borg criticizes government economic model

Opposition Leader Alex Borg has delivered a budget reply in Parliament, criticizing the current administration's economic model for relying on cheap labor and low productivity. Borg argued that the importation of cheap labor has caused a supply-side shock and warned that new measures affecting third-country nationals could negatively impact the health sector and trigger a wage-price spiral.

Borg also addressed infrastructure and social issues, labeling the “Malta in Motion” transport project as “Malta Slow Motion” and noting that traffic congestion costs the country up to 3% of its GDP annually. He questioned the energy sector's capacity to support new classroom air-conditioning units.

The Nationalist Party has proposed several measures to address these concerns, including a 50% mortgage interest refund for first-time homebuyers for the first 10 years of their loan. Other proposals include installing air conditioning and solar panels in all classrooms, providing automatic compensation for power cuts, and implementing a long-term national transport plan that remains consistent across successive administrations.