@ Chriss

It seems that once cornered, you go on the defensive, and try to slip away.

Just declare that you did not bother to look at facts but took as gospel truth whatever Joe Muscat and his colleagues said.

Why don’t you comment on all the jobs and roles that Muscat is dishing out? Are these being given according to meritocracy?

I was not referring to EU capital projects when mentioning fair distribution of EU funds. I was referring to financial aid which the EU allocates to boost particular sectors of the economy such as Agriculture and Fisheries. Although the EU provides guidelines oh how to spend these funds, it is the prerogative of the goverment on how to spend them. Ans I was not referring to subsidies either.

Obama? Impeccable English?

@chriss – you are again showing that you have no understanding of modern economics but you are locked in the stuffy, communist style, lanzit type of thinking of the 70s and 80s.

You have taken this from a very particular part of tax law: Highly Qualified Persons Rules

In the preamble you could find the following: “Therefore, the need is being felt for the importation of knowledge particularly in those areas of the where local expertise is lacking.

As it seems that it is difficult for you to understand such complex paragraphs, the keywords here are :

need – importation of knowledge – financial services sector – the gaming sector – aviation sector – local expertise is lacking.

Another part of the legal notice states:
“The objective of Legal Notices 106 of 2011, 428 of 2011 and 306 of 2012 Highly Qualified Persons Rules, is the creation of a scheme to attract highly qualified persons to occupy “eligible office” with companies licensed and/or recognized by the Malta Financial Services Authority, companies licensed by the Lotteries and Gaming Authority and companies holding an Air Operators’ Certificate.”

Again the keyword: “eligible office” and these are listed.

In addition, to obtain such benefits the person :

– has to prove that he is in possession of professional qualifications
– has at least five years professional experience;
– has not benefitted from deductions available to investment services
– has to prove that he performs activities of an eligible office;
-and has to reside in Malta for at least 4 out of the 5 years that this benefit applies to

These benefits are excluded if
“The individual income derived from employment in an “eligible office” will not qualify for the 15% reduced rate if it is paid by an employer who receives any benefits under business incentive”

Most of these business receive some type of benefits under the business incentive scheme and thus are not eligible.

Chriss, you would sound, and most probably live, much better if you remove your lanzit.

If anyone has any doubts what the Labour Party is all about, just look at what has and will be unfolding in way of nepotism, opportunism, miscalculations, breaking of promises and complete disregard to Codes of Ethics.

Chriss, you must have been more tuned to Joseph than paying attention to facts. This is why for the naive (imzazen) it is much easier to swallow what is fed by an opportunist like Joseph than to dig a little, understand what is involved in (1) negotiating an EU Budget (1.128 billion), (2) how to identify projects which qualify for EU funding, (3) obtain EU approval, (4) issue request for tenders (5) adjudicate and approve winning bid (6) supervise the actual work-in-progress, (7) complete the project (8) actually receive EU funds.

This process is still not fully understood by Joseph & Co. So, if you were under an impression that the funds were not absorbed quickly enough, you are grossly mistaken.

Another wrong impression is that some of these funds could be directly used to shore up businesses, etc. Not so. The funds cannot be used for subsidies, financial assistance to ailing companies but rather for capital expenditures which create jobs, improve the economy and ultimately enhance the government revenue.

Chriss, you have no idea how EU funds are planned and distributed. At the moment, actually for the past three months, the government (read PPCD) is in the process of the first consultation amongst stakeholders on what the priorities or the next round of funding should be. In general these should follow the European Strategic guidelines for the health, employment, agriculture, transport and education.

These priorities should also be in line with the modified Lisbon Criteria as well as other EU targets e.g. level of literacy or school leavers. This results in Malta’s National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF), which has to be approved by the European Commission.

A second round of consultations will take place once the general priorities have been set. The draft document, together with the budget that pertains to each priority axis, will then pass to the commission, where the government will negotiate with the commission, until a final Operations document (actually 2 main ones, Operational Programme 1 dealing with the Social fund and Operational Programme 2 dealing with the Regional Development Fund, and at least 4 minor ones – Transnational, cross border and interregional territorial cooperation and the agriculture and fisheries programmes).

Thus Malta is restrained on or how to invest the EU funds depending on these strategic documents.

As for where the money was spent, this can easily be ascertained if you take a look at the http://www.ppcd.gov.mt websites. There you can find details on all the funds:
http://www.ppcd.gov.mt/file.aspx?f=544

But just to give you some examples:
20 million for industry scheme of ME
Photovoltaic system both for industry (18000000) and residential
55000000 for the building of Various labs and the faculty of ICT
60000000 for the new MCAST campus
STEPS scholarship
Employment aid scheme
Start up schemes

I would leave it up to you to discover the rest. If you think that EU FUNDS went for road building and the oncology hospital ( now don’t you think that this shall improve people’s lives?), you are very mistaken.

I wonder what you mean by “improving people’s lives”? Maybe receiving a cheque at home for doing nothing, to be spent on Pizzas, alcohol and ther junk food or worse! The EU does not work like that. The EU offers you a fishing rod, a boat and teaining how to fish, and lets you go on to the high seas to obtain your daily fish.

It is an insult, to all those hard working, altruistic persons that work in the backstage area for no drect peronsl gain, when perons that have not bothered even to look up what projects have been funded, come here and shoot from the hip!

“Expatriates in receipt of income payable in terms of qualifiable contract of employment in respect of activities carried out in Malta, may opt to tax on such income at a flat rate of 15 %, provided that the income amounts to at least 75,000 Euros, adjusted annually in line with the Retail Price Index”.

Is this fair taxation? Why discriminate between locals and foreigners?

Diga qed jiddispjacihom. Tajru Statista biex twikkew b’komunista, b’giddieb u b’fanfru li hlief ibazwar mhux.