Comments on: A massive ‘I told you so’ moment, but it’s no consolation in this mess

By: White coat

White coat — Sun, 19 Oct 2014 18:14:39 +0000

Serious foreign investors think twice before investing where uncertainties exist especially when created by a government shady-dealing with China, Shiv Nair and a bunch of suspect cronies.

By: White coat

White coat — Sun, 19 Oct 2014 18:12:11 +0000

Malta has not seen one single employment-enhancing foreign investment comparable to say, Lufthansa Technik, during the last 18 months of Labour, or comparable to a mobile beach-side ice-cream stand.

On the other hand, we have seen a crash in direct foreign investment.

By: fm

fm — Sun, 19 Oct 2014 13:23:18 +0000

In reply to H.P. Baxxter. How I sincerely wish Tonio Fenech was the leader of the Opposition. He steered Malta in a very difficult world economy when Franco Debono and JPO were bent on making Gonzi lose the plot. If Muscat had Tonio Fenech chasing him, he would already probably be in deep trouble.

By: vanni

vanni — Sun, 19 Oct 2014 11:05:30 +0000

In reply to anthony. Think of all the effort and expense involved in trying to educate and instill some sophistication in a nation. Your thanks? You get booted out of office, and belatedly realize that you had been breaking windows with guineas all along.

By: H.P. Baxxter

H.P. Baxxter — Sun, 19 Oct 2014 00:31:28 +0000

In reply to Kevin.

I smell something even fishier – a CET Redux.

Both this shower of shyte and Alfred Sant have never really given up on CET. They’re really still in love with the idea, Like all true self-absorbed intellectuals, they’ll tell you it would have worked, if only they had tweaked this and that.

So here it is. CET Redux:

– A tax on internet sales.
– 35% VAT on a list of “luxury products”, to be decided ad hoc by Edward Scicluna every morning, as Alfred Sant did back in the day.
– 30% VAT on books (ghax dak lussu)
-An increase in VAT on restaurant meals – wait for it – but only for Maltese citizens. Halli ma naffetwawx l-imqaddes turizmu.
– A tax on flight tickets. Except for X-Malta-X flights. Again, turizmu uber alles.
– Anything else that might occur to this piece of academic flotsam.

By: Kevin

Kevin — Sat, 18 Oct 2014 23:03:57 +0000

What puzzles me is what Scicluna means by a move towards indirect taxation without increasing VAT. I smell an Internet sales tax or some form of surcharge that will significantly increase the cost of living to finance the growing deficit and government expenditure.

In 18 months I have heard of no concrete strategy for economic growth, business investment and employment.

By: H.P. Baxxter

H.P. Baxxter — Sat, 18 Oct 2014 21:27:40 +0000

Tonio Fenech is the closest the NP ever got to fact-based politics (as opposed to emotion-based).

By: anthony

anthony — Sat, 18 Oct 2014 21:21:24 +0000

Fenech, like the rest of the top brass of his party grossly overestimated the intellectual capacity of the average Maltese voter.

And consequently screwed the country.

By: pablo

pablo — Sat, 18 Oct 2014 20:57:45 +0000

I don’t know why but I can see Edward Scicluna responsible for national finances soon having to do what a hungry snake does – it eats its own tail.