The Budget Measures Bill, announced in the Budget speech last November, was approved by the House of Representatives on 9 May, 2012.
The Budget measures, most of which have already been brought into force, include an extension of maternity leave, lower tax for families with children, an increase in state assistance to parents of children in independent schools, an allowance for children attending cultural activities, a new allowance for people aged over eighty, tax credits for SMEs, removal of the television licence, an increased vehicle registration tax on the importation of vehicles with emission standards of Euro I-II or III, higher duty on cigarettes, a tax increase on fuel used for bunkering of ships outside Maltese waters, an increase in import duty on cement, grants for solar heaters and the retention of pensions for persons with disability who find a job.
