Pubblikazzjoni tal-Bank Ċentrali magħrufa bħala quarterly review tinkludi rapport estensiv fuq l-aħħar żviluppi fir-rata ta’ faqar u esklużjoni soċjali f’pajjiżna. Dan ir-rapport janalizza bir-reqqa statistika Ewropea li tinġabar kull sena mill-Uffiċċju Nazzjonali tal-Istatistika fuq il-livell tal-għajxien fost il-familji f’pajjiżna.
Ir-rapport tal-Bank Ċentrali jinnota li l-persentaġġ ta’ dawk f’riskju ta’ faqar u esklużjoni soċjali f’Malta huwa ta’ 20.1%, jew “below the euro area average of 23.1%.” Barra minn hekk, jirrimarka li “when compared with 2010, this indicates a drop of 1.1 percentage points, which compares favourably with other Member States, the majority of which experienced an increase in poverty rates during the same period.”
Fil-fatt madwar iż-żona ewro r-rata ta’ dawk f’riskju ta’ faqar u esklużjoni soċjali żdiedet b’1.1 punti perċentwali, jiġifieri l-oppost ta’ dak li ġara f’Malta. Fl-Italja pereżempju kien hemm żieda ta’ 6 punti perċentwali, fl-Olanda kien hemm żieda ta’ kważi 2 punti perċentwali, filwat li fil-Ġermanja ma kien hemm l-ebda bidla.
Ir-rapport tal-Bank Ċentrali jinnota li r-rata ta’ dawk f’riskju ta’ faqar f’Malta “has stood consistently below that in the euro area.” Filwaqt li nnota żieda żgħira f’din ir-rata, ir-rapport jirrimarka li “a closer look at the figures suggests that these dynamics are due more to a statistical effect rather than an increase in the number of low income earners.” Dan minħabba li din il-miżura hija determinata bħala l-persentaġġ ta’ dawk bi dħul anqas minn 60% tad-dħul medju fil-pajjiż. Li ġara f’Malta kien li fl-aħħar snin id-dħul medju żdied ħafna. Fil-fatt ir-rapport jinnota li “median disposable income in Malta rose by 35.6% between 2008 and 2016, the third largest increase in the euro area and dwarfing the 16.2% average increase in the bloc.” Li kieku d-dħul medju baqa’ fil-livell li kien fl-2008, ir-rata ta’ dawk f’riskju ta’ faqar kienet tonqos b’9.3 punti perċentwali.
Dan huwa kkonfermat ukoll minn statistika oħra Ewropea, dik fuq il-proporzjon ta’ dawk f’ċaħda materjali severa. Din il-miżura tħares lejn dak l-ammont tal-popolazzjoni li ma tiflaħx għal ċertu spejjeż essenzjali – bħal ħlas ta’ kontijiet jew li taffordja li tieħu btala. Ir-rapport tal-Bank Ċentrali jinnota li l-istampa fejn tidħol ċaħda materjali severa “over the past decade can be split into two contrasting periods, namely a steady increase from 2006 to a peak of 10.2% in 2014, and a decline back to 2007 levels over the following two years.” Skont din l-analiżi, dawn it-tendenzi huma simili għal dawk li wieħed jara meta jħares lejn il-figuri tal-qgħad. Fil-fatt ir-rapport tal-Bank Ċentrali jsostni li “putting people in work is a powerful method of helping people move above the poverty line.”
Element ieħor interessanti li jħares lejh ir-rapport tal-Bank Ċentrali huwa fuq il-piż tal-housing costs fuq il-familji f’pajjiżna. Il-Eurostat tinkludi f’din il-miżura fost l-oħrajn spejjeż fuq imgħaxijiet fuq djun, kirjiet, kontijiet tad-dawl u tal-ilma. Ir-rapport tal-Bank Ċentrali jinnota li “measures have followed a declining trend over the past four to five years … indicating an overall reduction in housing costs.” Filwaqt li jinnutaw li dan jikkuntrasta maż-żieda fil-kirjiet li seħħet fl-aħħar snin, ir-rapport tal-Bank Ċentrali jirrimarka li “one must remember that the overall percentage who were tenants … was quite small” filwaqt li “the drop in housing costs … could instead be reflecting the drop in mortgage rates, as well as the reduction in utility bills.”
Fil-konklużjoni tiegħu r-rapport tal-Bank Ċentrali jinnota li l-Gvern implimenta diversi miżuri biex jonqsu r-riskju ta’ faqar u l-esklużjoni soċjali. Fost l-oħrajn isemmi “increases in pensions and allowances for the elderly,” “measures aimed to encourage the participation in the labour force, such as in-work benefit schemes, increases in rent subsidies for people in need and schemes promoting an increase in the supply of social housing.” Ir-rapport jinkludi li “the above analysis suggests that these measures have indeed made an impact on reducing poverty levels, though further scope for improvement remains.”
