The prime minister’s car
I have received the following email:
There is something that has not been mentioned in relation to the Prime Minister’s leasing of his personal family car to the Office of the Prime Minister for his own official use.
Given current practices, former prime ministers continue to enjoy the use of a fully-expense-paid executive car for personal use. Effectively this means that Joseph Muscat will never need to use his family car, that Alfa Romeo he has leased to his own office, ever again.
So after five years of wear and tear on his family Alfa Romeo for which he will be paid Eur35,000 (more than the car is worth), Joseph Muscat, on leaving government, will sell that car for whatever he can get for it, and will be provided by the state with a new executive car for his own personal use.
And he will never again have to consider buying another car for himself.
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Last week I was overtaken by a white car (not a high-end one) with extremely tacky flashing blue LED lights stuck on to the rear window and, as far as I could see, to the side mirrors.
I thought it was a job done by a typical Maltese car fanatic (and here I’m being politically correct).
I overtook the car a few minutes later, only to realise that it was the security/”big boys” car accompanying the Prime Minister’s own Alfa.
Using the Transport Malta motor vehicle valuation page (even using different permutations for that model) the car in question cannot be worth more than EUR 8000 (and this is if it has only 10,000 miles on the clock).
Most probably it is only worth a little less than EUR 5.000 at present, which means that it will be worth less than EUR 3000 in four year’s time.
I think it is a pretty good deal for him.
Try it here:
http://www.valuation.vehicleregistration.gov.mt/motorVehicle.aspx
Joseph Muscat had better explain the current downward trend in bank dividend distributions. Bank of Valletta has just announced a 22% decrease in interim dividend payout.
HSBC and Lombard also reduced their dividend declarations earlier this year.
The dividend movements reflect the profitability of the sector.
This is going to have an impact on the incomes of savers and investors, especially older people, who are going to have significantly less cash in their pockets (“flus fil-but”) this year. So much for the lower utility bills.
If Dr Fenech Adami and Lawrence Gonzi were entitled to have a car after they ended their term at the office, why is Joseph Muscat not entitled?
[Daphne – Nobody is saying he isn’t. But given his age, this does mean that the state will be furnishing the Muscat family/couple with one car after another for a good 50 years or so, which strikes me as absurd.]
And for Euro 35,000 the state could have bought a brand-new official car and told the prime minister to keep his at home.
“the state could have….to the prime minister”
Has it not already been said and done before? – “L’etat c’est moi.”
http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2014-04-25/news/president-cancels-trip-for-popes-canonisation-no-government-representative-to-attend-4748673024/
Why would someone first announce then cancel such a trip ? No money left from president’s budget for such trips ?
Who is Mrs.Muscat representing?
Dona Michaela is representing La Familia Real.
How does the leasing work exactly? Does the PM have a company which leases its car to government?
Does he hold the necessary licence to lease cars? Does he have a VAT number to lease his car and invoice for its leasing?
Is he issuing his government with a VAT receipt? I have a feeling that there is none of this and this is very unfair on all those businesses who have to do everything by the book.
Jien ma nistax nifhem kif ir-regoli jaghmilhom hu dal-imbarazz ta’ bniedem?
U jhalluh.
Why should former PMs have a free car?
[Daphne – I have no idea. I, for one, think they should buy their own cars.]