Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1528615
8 maltatoday | TUESDAY • 29 OCTOBER 2024 BUDGET2025 MATTHEW VELLA mvella@mediatoday.com.mt €250 increase in children's allowance Additional €250 for parents whose children attend specialised therapy Free gym memberships for 20-year-olds FINANCE minister Clyde Carua- na announced an additional €250 in children's allowance per child. The increase aligns with a pledge made in the ruling party's manifesto to raise the allowance by €450 during this legislative term. In his budget speech, Caruana also announced that government plans to introduce a change that excludes both social security con- tributions and income tax from the income used to determine al- lowance eligibility. This adjustment, anticipated to cost around €16.5 million, will affect approximately 42,000 fam- ilies and 63,000 children. These new measures disregard social security and income tax will apply here as well, meaning the benefit will be calculated on a lower net income. Approximate- ly 25,000 families, with a total of 40,000 children under 23, are expected to benefit from this ex- pansion. The €500 annual allowance for children still in education beyond the mandatory age will continue being paid. This payment, made over a three-year period, will as- sist 10,500 families in 2025, with an estimated annual expenditure of €6 million. Addressing Malta's low birth rate, Caruana announced an increase to birth and adoption bonuses. He explained that this year, families received €500 for their first child and €1,000 for subsequent children. Now, the third child or more will trigger a €1,500 bonus, with around 580 families expected to benefit. Additionally, the marriage grant has been raised to €500 per spouse, totalling €1,000 per cou- ple. With regards to IVF, the finance minister explained that currently, employed parents benefit from 100 hours of additional paid leave per treatment cycle - 60 hours for the prospective mother and 40 hours for her spouse. Beginning next year, self-employed parents will be eligible for equivalent compensation, with maximum benefit payments calculated based on the national minimum wage. Similarly, paternity leave of 10 days or 80 hours will now extend to self-employed fathers, with the payment reflecting the national minimum wage. On foster families and residen- tial care homes play, Caruana announced an increase in the weekly fostering allowance. This benefit, which supports chil- dren under 21, will rise by €10 per week to €120, amounting to €6,240 annually for each child in care. PARENTS whose children at- tend specialised therapy will see a tax credit increase of €250. This was among several budget measures that seek to raise welfare benefits. Finance Minister Clyde Caru- ana reiterated that the tax cred- it given to parents of children with disabilities amounted to €500, as this figure will now rise to €750. The funds are meant to help parents to pay for specialised therapists. Caruana said that government will also be intro- ducing a separate scheme sole- ly to aid unemployed parents, parents who don't pay tax, or those who are entitled to social benefits. Caruana announced that an- other benefit aimed at parents of children with mental or physical disabilities will see a €5 increase. The allowance for such children will now rise to €1,820 per year, as the minister explained that the measure is expected to reach some 2,300 families. Meanwhile, the finance min- ister also announced that the added assistance for severe dis- abilities will increase by €7.42 per week, bringing the total amount of assistance up to €199.61 per week. Those who only qualify for the regular severe disability as- sistance scheme will see a €3.49 increase, which means that beneficiaries will be entitled to €102.62 per week. Caruana further announced increases in the additional car- er assistance. The benefit will increase by €5.24, meaning that the total benefit will rise to €179.02. Meanwhile, the regu- lar carer grant will see an iden- tical €5.24 boost, as this benefit will now amount to €125.92. THE government will be paying the first six months of gym mem- berships for young people born in 2005, 2006 and 2007. The measure forms part of Budget 2025's health policy to prioritise physical exercise and sports. Malta will be spending €140 million in EU funds on health- care infrastructure and medical devices. A tender for the enlargement of the Emergency Department, the widening of Intensive Care ser- vices and the creation of an Acute Psychiatric Centre will be issued in the coming months. Government plans to spend €14 million to utilise private hospitals to carry out 5,000 more surgi- cal operations thus reducing the waiting lists in several areas. The state will introduce nation- al screening for children from 18 months of age who have commu- nication difficulties. Occupational therapy servic- es will be introduced within the community for patients aged 16 and over, as well as in schools. Sports, mental health The government said it will "continue to support athletes" through SportMalta's assistance to the Maltese Olympic Com- mittee for athletes to continue their professional training both at home and abroad. It will hand over land titles for the forthcoming motorsports track in Hal Far to the motorsport federation, with work beginning this year on the first structural phase of the National Motorsport Centre project. "We believe that physical ac- tivity and participation in sports helps improve mental health," Caruana said, announcing com- prehensive initiatives that will increase knowledge and accessi- bility to mental healthcare while reducing the stigma associated with mental health. The government will be ex- tending and funding first aid pro- grammes for mental health in the community and in workplaces, to improve the skills to identify mental health problems faced by colleagues. MATTHEW FARRUGIA mfarrugia@mediatoday.com.mt MATTHEW FARRUGIA mfarrugia@mediatoday.com.mt