Il-Ministru għat-Trasport, l-Infrastruttura u Proġetti Kapitali Ian Borg, flimkien mal-Ministru għall-Finanzi Edward Scicluna, nedew skema li se tkun qed tkompli twettaq wegħda oħra elettorali.

STQARRIJA MILL-MINISTERU GĦAT-TRASPORT, L-INFRASTRUTTURA U PROĠETTI KAPITALI

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MILL-MINISTERU GĦALL-FINANZI

Il-Ministru Borg qal li din l-okkażjoni ma kinitx biss biex jingħad li l-piż tad-dejn pubbliku qiegħed jonqos, imma biex għal sena oħra konsekuttiva l-Gvern iniedi skema oħra li trodd il-flus lill-poplu; dik ta’ rifużjoni ta’ VAT fuq il-vetturi.

Il-Ministru qal li l-Gvern preżenti huwa wieħed li jagħti lura u li jemmen li l-poplu kollu għandu jgawdi mill-ġid ekonomiku tal-pajjiż. Din is-sena, permezz ta’ din l-iskema, se jkun qiegħed jagħti lura l-ammont ta’ €4.8 miljun lil 6,500 applikant – l-akbar ammont li qatt ingħata f’din l-iskema.

Din is-sena, se jkunu qegħdin jibbenefikaw sidien ta’ vetturi li rreġistraw il-vettura tagħhom bejn l-1 ta’ Jannar 2007 u l-31 ta’ Diċembru 2007. Din l-iskema tfisser li l-Gvern se jagħti rifużjoni ekwivalenti għall-VAT li jkun ġie mħallas fuq it-taxxa tar-reġistrazzjoni meta l-vettura tkun inxtrat, wara li jitnaqqas l-ammont ta’ €110 (vetturi) jew €55 (muturi) li diġà ngħatalhom fl-2014 meta din l-iskema ġiet imħabbra għall-ewwel darba mill-istess Gvern, li mill-bidu nett dejjem ra kif għamel biex ikun hemm għall-poplu. Il-ħlas se jsir f’pagament wieħed permezz ta’ cheque li se jintbagħat fl-indirizz provdut fuq l-applikazzjoni. Il-formola tal-applikazzjoni lil kull min hu eliġibbli se tintbagħat f’Mejju. Il-pubbliku għandu sa l-aħħar ta’ Mejju biex jikkonferma u jirritorna l-applikazzjoni fl-indirizz imsemmi fuq il-formola. B’kollox il-Gvern diġà ta lura total ta’ €13.9 miljun bejn l-2014 u l-2017.

“Jiena ntenni l-impenn tiegħi li flimkien ma’ sħabi l-oħra tal-Kabinett inkompli naħdem sabiex ġenerazzjonijiet futuri jkollhom l-aqwa kwalità tal-ħajja, u għandi kull determinazzjoni li dan inkompli nwettqu permezz ta’ ħidma kontinwa u sostnuta,” għalaq il-Ministru Borg.

Min-naħa tiegħu, il-Ministru għall-Finanzi Edward Scicluna fakkar fil-wegħda li kien għamel il-Gvern fil-programm elettorali tiegħu meta kien fl-oppożizzjoni. Hawnhekk kien qal li meta jkun qiegħed fil-Gvern, kull min bejn is-sena 2004 u s-sena 2008 kien xtara vettura u ħallas it-taxxa tal-VAT fuq it-taxxa tar-reġistrazzjoni u li allura ma kinetx dovuta, kien se jingħata lura dak li fil-fatt qatt ma kien dovut iħallas. Huwa sostna li dan ġie rifless sa mill-ewwel budget tal-Gvern fl-2013, u fiehem kif minħabba l-ammont sostanzjali li kien dovut, dan kellu jiġi mqassam fuq numru ta’ snin, speċjalment meta wieħed iqis id-dejn li kien jinsab fih il-pajjiż, li kien qiegħed taħt Proċedura ta’ Defiċit Eċċessiv.

Il-Ministru Scicluna saħaq li l-Gvern kellu pjan mhux biss li jġib il-finanzi pubbliċi fis-sod, iżda li jrodd lura wkoll lill-poplu Malti u Għawdxi. Huwa qal li frott ta’ dan l-impenn, sas-sena l-oħra madwar 26,000 individwu tħallsu lura kwazi €14.5 miljun.

“Illum qed inħabbru il-pagament għal dawk l-individwi li kienu xtraw il-vettura tagħhom matul is-sena 2007. Se jkun hemm pagament ta’ madwar ħames miljun ewro matul din is-sena. B’hekk ikun ifisser li jkun għad fadal biss dawk l-individwi li kienu xtraw il-vetturi tagħhom matul is-sena 2008. B’hekk wegħda oħra se tal-Gvern se tkun twettqet kollha,” temm jgħid il-Ministru Scicluna.

Għal aktar informazzjoni, applikanti eliġibbli mistiedna jċemplu fuq Freephone 8007 2373 mit-Tnejn sal-Ġimgħa bejn it-08:00 u t-15:00 jew jibagħtu email fuq grantscheme.tm@transport.gov.mt.

PRESS RELEASE BY THE MINISTRY FOR TRANSPORT, INFRASTRUCTURE AND CAPITAL PROJECTS

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THE MINISTRY FOR FINANCE

€4.8 million to be given back to 6,500 applicants through the VAT Refund Scheme. Cars registered in 2007 are eligible.

Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects Ian Borg and Minister for Finance Edward Scicluna launched a scheme which will continue implementing another electoral pledge.

Minister Borg said this occasion was not only meant to communicate that public debt burden is getting smaller but so that for another consecutive year, the government could launch another scheme which gives money back to the people – the VAT Refund Scheme on vehicles.

The Minister said that the current government is a government that gives back and believes that all citizens should benefit from the country’s economic wealth; it is a government that, this year, thanks to this scheme, will give back the amount of €4.8 million to 6,500 applicants – the greatest amount ever given through the scheme.

Owners who registered their vehicles between 1 January 2007 and 31 December 2007 will be benefitting this year. The scheme means that the government gives a refund equivalent to the amount of VAT paid on registration tax upon the purchase of the vehicle after subtracting the amount of €110 (vehicles) or €55 (motorbikes) which were already given in 2014 when this scheme was announced for the first time by the same government – which from the very beginning did its utmost to be there for its people. The money will be given in one payment via a cheque which will be sent to the address provided on the application. The application form will be sent to all eligible individuals in May. The public must confirm and return the application to the address named on the form by the end of May. The government has already given back a total of €13.9 million between 2014 and 2017.

“I reiterate my commitment to continue working together with my colleagues in cabinet so that future generations can have the best quality of life and I am absolutely determined to continue implementing this through continuous work and maintained momentum”, concluded Minister Ian Borg.

Finance Minister Edward Scicluna reminded those present of the pledge put forward by the current government in its electoral programme when still in opposition – that once in government, anyone who had bought a vehicle between 2004 and 2008 and on which they’d paid VAT on registration tax, which was therefore not supposed to have been paid, would be given back what was wrongfully charged. Minister Scicluna said this was reflected as of the first budget set by the government in 2013 and explained that due to the substantial amount due, this had to be distributed over a number of years, especially when one keeps in mind the amount of debt being faced by the country which was undergoing an Excessive Deficit Procedure.

Minister Scicluna emphasised that the government did not only have a plan to strengthen public finances but also to give back to the Maltese and Gozitan people. He said that due to this commitment, up to last year, around 26,000 individuals were paid back almost €14.5 million.

“Today we are announcing the payment for those individuals who had bought their vehicle during 2007. There will be a payment of around €5 million throughout this year. This means that only those individuals who had bought their vehicles in 2008 will remain. In this way, another government pledge will have been implemented in its entirety”, concluded Minister Scicluna.

For more information eligible applicants are invited to call on the Freephone 8007 2373 from Monday to Friday between 08:00 and 15:00 or send an email on grantscheme.tm@transport.gov.mt.

      

Monday 30th April 2018