Government to table anti-deadlock bill for chief justice appointment

Prime Minister Robert Abela has announced that the government will table a bill in Parliament to introduce an anti-deadlock mechanism for appointing a new chief justice on Monday.

Speaking at a Labour Party event in Naxxar on Sunday, Prime Minister Robert Abela said the bill would be tabled the following day alongside a number of other amendments aimed at bringing stability, certainty and calm to the work of the country's judges.

"We are clear and decisive. Tomorrow, we go to parliament and table a bill proposing an anti-deadlock mechanism, together with a number of other amendments that will give the courts the stability they need," Abela said.

The announcement came amid a prolonged standoff over the chief justice post.

Both the government and the Opposition need to reach an agreement on who will be Malta’s next chief justice, since this position now demands a two-thirds majority in parliament.

Abela also announced pensioners earning extra income beyond their pension won't pay tax on that income up to double the maximum pension. He emphasised it as relief, not a tax on the pension. Previously, such pensioners could pay up to 35% tax on additional earnings.

Starting next week, a new legal notice will set that rate to zero.

"You, who were careful, saved, invested, and kept working after retirement because you believed you still had something to contribute, the government supports you. You will save thousands of euros in taxes. You have paid enough and worked enough," Abela stated.

Abela stated the government has done more than previous administrations to help young people buy their first home, mentioning stamp duty relief, a 10% deposit scheme, equity sharing, VAT exemptions in conservation areas, and a €10,000 grant for first-time buyers with a bank loan.

He said government housing investment is now five times higher than five years ago. Between 2020 and 2024, nearly 34,000 young people under 35 bought their first home, 25% more than in the previous period.

Abela also outlined the Malta Vision 2050 strategy, which launched last week in Valletta, describing it as the government's roadmap to take the country to the next level.

He said the IMF had confirmed Malta's A-plus economic rating and had decided to carry out its review every two years rather than annually, which he described as a mark of confidence in the country's finances.

He concluded by highlighting that the economy had grown more than ten times faster than Germany's the previous year, and that the national budget stood at €9.3 billion, the largest in the country's history, with the two biggest tax cuts ever recorded.