Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1541360
THE ALL-NEW B10 STARTING FROM €20,900* (*2025 GOVERNMENT GRANTS AND SCRAPPAGE SCHEME INCLUDED. TERMS AND CONDITIONS APPLY). mt SURVEY maltatoday | SUNDAY • 16 NOVEMBER 2025 50% see no improvement after budget THE budget was dubbed as "the best budget ever" and yet half of respondents in MaltaToday's survey think it has left them in the same financial position as be- fore or worse. The November survey, which was car- ried out after the two main leaders deliv- ered their speeches, shows that two out of five respondents (40.5%) have not seen an improvement in their financial posi- tion after the budget. But while only 9% say they are worse off, 30% think Budget 2026 has left them better off. A fifth (20.4%) are not sure of the budget's impact on their personal sit- uation. The large cohort of voters who feel their financial situation has remained the same could be an indication that a large seg- ment of the population has not benefit- ted from the significant tax cuts directed towards families with children. Compared to last year, the percentage of those who have seen no change in their financial position after the budget has increased from 36% to 40.5%, while the percentage of those who have seen an improvement has also increased from 24.2% to 30%. The number of those who think they are worse off has also declined from 13% to 9%. The survey also shows that the budget is perceived differently by different catego- ries, with over-65s, whose pensions have been boosted by €10 a week increase, including COLA, being the most like- ly to feel a positive impact on their life. In fact, among this category, 41.7% have seen a positive impact. Only 27.3% of pensioners think their position remains unchanged, while 9% think they are now worse off. In contrast, more than half of those (52.8%) aged between 16 and 35 think their position has remained unchanged and only 21.3% think they are better off after the budget. This could reflect the fact that this cate- gory, which includes students and people at the start of their career are less likely to have children, thus being ineligible for the tax cuts that will come into effect in January. In fact, the percentage of those who have seen an improvement increas- es to 29.7% among 36- to 50-year-olds, a category that includes more beneficiaries of the latest tax cuts. But the percentage of those who think they are now bet- ter off decreases to 26.5% among 51- to 65-year-olds. A regional breakdown shows that the highest percentage of people who have seen an improvement is found in the South Eastern region (41.8%) and the lowest in the densely populated North Harbour area (22.7%). Not surprisingly, when the results are analysed by political allegiance, 56% of current PL voters report an improve- ment in their personal financial position. On the other hand, 50.2% of PN voters report remaining in the same position. Among the politically strategic category of non-voters, only 17.3% report an im- provement while 43.9% report no change to their personal financial state after the budget. JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt 45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 Left with more money in your pocket Left with less money in your pocket No change Don't know After the Budget are you... Budget rating out of 5 Age Gender Region Education Current voters 60 55 50 45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 PL PN Non Voters More Money Less money No difference Don't know Finance Minister rating out of 5 3.4 3.2 Budget gets thumbs up: Rated 3.2 out of 5 THE budget itself is positively rated by all categories of respondents, in- cluding PN voters and non-voters. PN voters rate the budget at 2.5 out of 5 and current non-voters rate it at 2.8. Labour voters give Budget 2026 the highest rating at 4.1 out of five. Compared to last year, the survey shows the budget rating increasing from 3.1 to 3.2. A breakdown by age shows the budget enjoying its highest rating among over 65-year-olds (3.5) and the lowest among 16- to 35-year- olds (3). A breakdown by education shows a higher appreciation among the primary educated (3.5) com- pared to a lower but still rosy rating of three among the tertiary educat- ed. Despite tilting towards the PN in terms of voting intentions, Gozitans also give the budget a high rating of 3.3. This is the third highest regional rating after that of the PL's strong- holds—South Eastern region (3.4) and the South Harbour (3.4). The lowest rating was given by respond- ents in Northern region (3). People were asked to rate the budget on a scale from 0 to 5, zero representing the worst rating and five the best. The survey was con- ducted after the budget speeches of the Opposition leader and the prime minister. After the budget were you ... 45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 Left with more money in your pocket Left with less money in your pocket No change Don't know Budget rating out of 5 Age Gender Region Education Current voters 60 55 50 45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 PL PN Non Voters More Money Less money No difference Don't know Finance Minister rating out of 5 3.4 3.2