Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/585015
maltatoday, TUESDAY, 13 OCTOBER 2015 5 FINANCING THE BUDGET DEFICIT €102 million AFTER ADJUSTMENT OF €94 MILLION Budget 2016 maltatoday, TUESDAY, 13 OCTOBER 2015 THE BREAKDOWN Ombudsman gets cut as Muscat get double hospitality budget Budget 2016 allocates €29 million up from €23 million as part of the Public Service obligation to the Spanish company Alesa, responsible for public transport. In 2015 the contribution for public transport it was €23 million. Another public service obligation for inter-island transportation is the Gozo channel subsidy, will increase from €400,000 in 2015 to €1 million in 2016. The travel bill for the Office of the President will increase from €100,000 in 2015 to €165,000 in 2016. A capital vote of €75,000 is allocated for the refurbishment of the president's Gozo office. On the other hand, the Ombudsman will get a lower vote in 2016 down to €1,025,000 from €1,140,000. The National Audit Office gets an increase in vote from €2.7 million in 2015 to €2.9 million in 2016. Prime Minister Joseph Muscat will receive more for recurrent funds next year, not simply for salaries. Wages stood at €6.4 million in 2015 and it will go up to €7.5 million, but also a higher recurrent expenditure vote for travel and a double vote next year in hospitality from €400,000 in 2016 against €200,000 in 2015. The highest increase at the office of the Prime Minister is in professional services from €184,000 this year to €400,000 and information services from €180,000 to €520,000. Indeed, a cursory glance at next year's Budget shows an extensive array of increments for hospitality expenses in ministries. The vote for the EU presidency 2017, from €3 million this year up to a staggering €20 million. At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, overseas development aid will go up to €800,000 from half a million. At the Ministry of Education and Employment, the vote for professional services will go up from €56,000 this year to €456,000. The contribution to church schools is also up from €53 million to €63 million. The Building Industry Consultative Council vote increases from €160,000 to €575,000.