Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1540773
7 maltatoday | TUESDAY • 28 OCTOBER 2025 BUDGET 2026 Stipend boost and free gym membership target Gen Z BUDGET 2026 targets young people with higher stipends, free gym memberships, digital grants, and new support for Gozitan stu- dents. Increased stipends for students Young people are set to bene- fit from an extension of the free gym membership scheme and an increase in stipends, making them one of the main targets of the budget. Students attending post-secondary institutions, such as MCAST and the University of Malta, will see their stipends in- crease by 15%, translating to an increase of between €17 and €58 per month, depending on the course they are following. Junior college students or those pursuing vocational courses at MCAST will be eligible for an extra €17 per month, as will stu- dents enrolled in degrees with a general classification. Students following proscribed courses— such as certain bachelor's cours- es at both MCAST and Univer- sity—will receive an additional €29 per month, while the great- est beneficiaries will be those pursuing high-priority degrees, who will see an increase of €58 per month. Proscribed courses are pro- grammes identified by the Maltese government as impor- tant for national development, including healthcare, educa- tion, and technology, whereas high-priority courses are a select group of studies deemed critical to Malta's future skills needs. Digital grant for younger stu- dents Another measure targets younger students aged 14 and 15, providing a €500 digital grant for those in Form 4 and Form 5 (Years 10 and 11), primarily to help families access digital learn- ing tools. Free gym membership for Gen Z All young people aged 16 to 21, born between 2004 and 2009, will benefit from a six-month free gym membership. This is an extension of last year's initiative that applied only to those born between 2005 and 2007. This health-oriented measure is likely to be particularly popular among fitness-conscious youth. Support for Gozitan students Gozitan students studying in Malta are set to receive a new monthly grant of €280 to help cover travel and accommoda- tion costs, an increase of over €100 from the current €166.60 monthly support. This measure targets students over 18 who are permanent Gozo residents and enrolled in Maltese educational institutions. Around 1,000 full-time Gozitan students are expected to benefit, at an es- timated cost of €5 million. Encouraging youth entrepre- neurship Legal amendments have also been introduced to allow young people between the ages of 16 and 18-years-old to become en- trepreneurs in a secure, regulat- ed framework, enabling them to carry out commercial acts and operate bank accounts appropri- ate for their age. Housing support for young adults In a bid to address housing af- fordability, the minimum age for applying for the equity-sharing scheme has been lowered to 25 years, specifically targeting the 25–30 age group who previously struggled to secure loans or de- posits. Youths who give up their car license The budget foresees grants of up to €5,000 per year for five years for youths up to age 30 who renounce their car license. Political implications A MaltaToday survey conduct- ed last month showed the PN leading among the 16 to 35-year- old category, even though Abela remained the most trusted lead- er in this group, with the PN also making inroads among Gozitan voters. These new measures could boost Labour's support among both categories of young voters. JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt Pensioners to receive additional €10 weekly including COLA SOME 100,000 pensioners will receive an additional €10 every week, including the cost-of-liv- ing increase. Finance Minister Clyde Caru- ana detailed the various Budget 2026 incentives aimed at pen- sioners in parliament during his yearly budget speech. Caruana announced that pen- sioners aged between 75 and 79-years-old will have their pensions increased from €350 per month to €425. Meanwhile, those aged 80 and above will have their monthly pensions raised from €450 to €525. He further announced that widowed pensioners will be granted an additional €3.50 per week in their pensions, a meas- ure expected to benefit around 7,000 individuals. Married pensioners receiv- ing reduced rates due to their spouse also drawing a pension will benefit from an increase of between €2 and €14 per week. This is expected to impact around 5,000 people. The finance minister also said that those who don't qualify for pensions will see a €50 annual increase. The bonus varies from €600 for those who contribut- ed one year of NI tax to €1,050 for those who contributed nine years. The annual carer's grant, which supports those caring for a loved one, has been raised by €500 to a total of €9,000 per year. Furthermore, Caruana an- nounced an adjustment meas- ure will be made available for approximately 20,000 pension- ers, including widows, who were born before 1962, to reduce the gap that resulted from the 2006 reform in the Maximum Pen- sionable Income. For those elderly individuals living at home or paying for pri- vate care, the grant they receive will increase by €75, reaching €425 for those aged 75–79 and €525 for those aged 80 and over. For service pensioners, the commuted pension amount cal- culated with the social security pension will increase by €200, raising the maximum amount to €3,866. Approximately 7,000 service pensioners who reach the age of 72 will have the entire amount calculated from their service pension disregarded for calcu- lations. MATTHEW FARRUGIA mfarrugia@mediatoday.com.mt