Mamma’s Sugar founder Alen Osman has strongly criticised new Budget 2027 measures targeting third-country nationals, arguing that foreign workers are being treated as a source of government revenue while being expected to contribute to Malta’s economy.“Enough is enough. We cannot keep treating third-country nationals as a source of revenue while expecting them to build Malta’s future,” said Osman, a Macedonian national who has lived in Malta since 2016.His reaction follows a Budget which introduced a series of additional costs and restrictions affecting TCNs, while Prime Minister Robert Abela defended the approach by arguing that non-EU workers must contribute more.Osman highlighted the new €400 annual infrastructure contribution, increased work permit fees, new transport costs and further restrictions on benefits. He claimed an initial work permit application could reach €1,200 when the relevant costs are combined.“These are not small amounts for people who already pay rent, bills, taxes and social security contributions,” he said.Osman, who has built businesses and created jobs since moving to Malta, argued that the measures risk contradicting the government’s push for foreign workers to integrate and remain in the country long-term.“You cannot demand integration while creating additional financial barriers. You cannot encourage people to stay long-term while continuously increasing the cost of staying.”While backing stronger action against labour market abuses and better enforcement, Osman argued that legally employed TCNs should not bear the cost.“A country cannot celebrate foreign workers when it needs them and treat them as a burden when it presents its budget,” he said.“We are not numbers on a spreadsheet. We are human beings.”Osman ended by calling on the government to reconsider the measures and consult workers, employers, unions and affected communities.“If we are good enough to work here, pay taxes here, build businesses here and contribute to Malta’s prosperity, why are we not good enough to be treated with fairness and dignity?”What do you make of the new Budget measures affecting third-country nationals?•