Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1510683
6 maltatoday | TUESDAY • 31 OCTOBER 2023 BUDGET2024 Government to prohibit certain vehicles on the road before 9am Fuel subsidies will stay in place until 2026 Government will fork out around €320 million in fuel subsidies every year until at least 2026, a year before the general election TRAFFIC ENERGY SUBSIDIES LETTER OF INTENTION The Directors Mr Alex Galea, Mr Bernard Micallef Cann, Mr Morgan Parnis and Mr Stephen Tarr of Community Centred care Ltd., declares their intention for the company to register for an Employment Agency licence in accordance to article 23 of the Employ- ment and Training Services Act, 1990 (Act XXVIII of 1990). The activities proposed to be carried out are the following: 1) Recruitment Consultancy 2) Interviewing, selection and placements of candidates in employment 3) Recruitment of persons from abroad to employment in Malta or in an EU member state 4) Recruitment of persons in Malta for employment in Malta or in an EU member state 5) Advertising of the filling of vacancies 6) Keeping a register of applicants for employment Official Registered Office: Business leaders hub, 160, Mdina Road, Zebbug. ZBG 9015. Company Registration Number: C97990 EMPLOYMENT AGENCY ABRAM LIMITED Contact details : Office 54, Office 2, Triq Salvu Psaila BIRKIRKARA BKR 9073 MALTA email HR@abram.mt mobile +356 7762 9739 VACANCY GDA of Victoria Gozo is urgently looking for a TECHNICAL WORKER for the repairs and installation of large domestic appliances. Applicants must be in a possession of a driving licence and be able to speak English or Maltese. For further information please send email on: gdatrade@gmail.com GOVERNMENT will spend around €320 million in fuel sub- sidies every year until at least 2026, according to estimates for the Budget 2024. For every €100 spent by the government over the next year, €5 will be spent on fuel subsi- dies to stave off inflation. With wheat subsidies includ- ed, the expenditure amount on all subsidies for 2024 will reach €350 million. The energy subsidies will re- main in place until at least 2026, with the government hoping that a second interconnector and offshore energy projects will help lower the unit cost of electricity. This means that people can expect stable prices in their electricity bills until a year be- fore the next general election. Malta is expected to get a sec- ond interconnector with Sicily by 2025. The cable will con- nect Magħtab with Ragusa in a capital project expected to cost €170 million. The Environment and Re- sources Authority has already approved the environmental impact assessments on the pro- ject. Meanwhile, the government has identified six areas outside Malta's territorial waters for floating renewable energy pro- jects. The areas were outlined in a national policy released for public consultation last August. MATTHEW FARRUGIA GOVERNMENT is currently finalising a plan to ensure that certain services that require road access do not start before 9am to ease traffic congestion. However, it is not yet clear which services will be impact- ed. During his budget speech, Fi- nance Minister Clyde Caruana announced this as the result of a consultation process with several stakeholders to reduce traffic during rush hour. Caruana also stated that gov- ernment is also revising the Transport Master Plan which includes several investments and measures which will bring about government's vision for the transport sector by 2030. The finance minister al- so mentioned government's €35 million investment in the creation of a cycling network, pedestrian infrastructure, and overall embellishment pro- jects in urban spaces within a five-year period. He acknowledged the fact that traffic congestion and the religious use of private cars are the two main challenges Malta faces with regards to trans- portation. Therefore, Caruana announced that in 2024, gov- ernment will conduct a study and possibly implement a new parking zone model which relies on public-private part- nerships. These partnerships, Caruana said, will also include several services to the commu- nity in one central hub. Similarly, the finance minis- ter said that government will explore the possibility of park- and-ride zones specifically for university students through a partnership with Kunsill Stu- denti Universitarji. Caruana also said that government will be launching a study and a public consultation to see how Valletta could be made more accessible. For the first time, govern- ment will incentivise the pur- chasing of e-kick scooters. This comes as government an- nounced a ban on rental e-kick scooters starting from March 2024. On incentivising more sus- tainable vehicles, government is going to extend the current schemes that incentivise the purchase of new electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. Caruana further explained that electric and plug-in hy- brid vehicles that can go 50km or more after being charged once, will keep being exempt from registration tax, as well as licence renewal fees for the first five years since registra- tion. Meanwhile, scrappage fee schemes, incentives on elec- tric bicycles, and incentives for drivers to switch from pet- rol to gas-powered vehicles will also be extended, Carua- na said. Government will al- so continue to incentivise ve- hicles (such as taxis) that are wheelchair accessible. On free public transport, Caruana said that government will analyse the impact of free public transport to enhance the service. Government is al- so currently studying the pub- lic transport network to see if priority lanes can be created in certain areas, which would reduce travel time.