The Malta Developers Association (MDA) has issued a call for more long-term and sustainable investments by the government, while stressing that infrastructure projects are tending to take too much time.

While welcoming the fact that the state managed to increase its revenues through increased tax revenues, it called upon the government to make sure that this increase in revenue does not go to current expenditure but rather to capital and long term investments.

“Sustainability dictates that the infrastructure of the country is of an adequate level,” the MDA said in a statement. 

“This includes roads, pavements, cleanliness, IT connectivity, clean transport, maritime infrastructure, accessible open areas and air quality related projects amongst others.”

“It must ensure that it returns to a system where infrastructure projects are completed in short periods as they are now tending to take too much time.”

“As such, Government needs to award bids not solely on price but increasingly on contractor delivery track record.”

“Such projects are not short term and sometimes governments are not too keen on them, preferring spending money on projects with no long term economic prospects.”

It continued by reminding the government of its responsibility to couple increased revenue with an increase in its capital expenditure as it is “necessary for sustainable economic growth”.

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