Il-Ministeru għall-Finanzi jħabbar li se jibdew jinħarġu l-għotjiet fuq roti
Il-Ministru għall-Finanzi, Edward Scicluna, vara miżura tal-Baġit li permezz tagħha min, mill-1 ta’ Jannar 2015, xtara jew se jixtri rota tradizzjonali jew waħda li taħdem bl-elettriku (pedelic) se jirċievi għotja ta’ darba ekwivalenti għall-VAT li jkun ħallas fuq il-prezz tagħha.
STQARRIJA MILL-MINISTERU GĦALL-FINANZI
Il-Ministru Scicluna vara l-iskema tal-għotjiet nhar it-Tlieta, 7 ta’ April 2015 waqt attività li saret fil-mogħdija għall-passiġġati li tagħti għal fuq Wied Babu, iż-Żurrieq. Preżenti wkoll kien hemm uffiċjali mill-Ministeru tal-Finanzi u minn Transport Malta, kif ukoll rappreżentanti mill-Bicycle Advocacy Group (BAG). Għal din l-iskema ta’ għotjiet, il-Gvern qed jalloka €120,000.
Il-Ministru tkellem dwar il-benefiċċji ekonomiċi jekk isir użu akbar minn mezzi alternattivi ta’ trasport, bħar-roti, li jnaqqsu l-emissjonijiet u l-konġestjonijiet tat-traffiku. Saħaq ukoll li r-roti elettriċi, li jkollhom mutur elettriku li jipprovdilhom forza addizzjonali biex jimxu, huma tajbin ukoll għal użu mhux rikreattiv ta’ kuljum.
“Meta l-BAG għamlu r-rakkomandazzjoni tagħhom lill-Gvern biex idaħħal inċentiv fiskali biex jinkoraġġixxi l-użu tar-roti tradizzjonali u ta’ dawk elettriċi, qisnieha bħala kontribut ċkejken biex intejbu s-saħħa kollettiva tal-pajjiż permezz tat-tnaqqis tal-emissjonijiet, l-inkoraġġiment tal-eżerċizzju fiżiku, kif ukoll bħala mod kif innaqqsu l-konġestjonijiet tat-traffiku,” qal il-Ministru Scicluna.
Il-Ministru Scicluna qal li jekk il-poplu jkun aktar b’saħħtu, tonqos il-pressjoni fuq is-servizz pubbliku tas-saħħa, u dan jippermetti lill-Gvern jalloka mill-ġdid ir-riżorsi eżistenti biex bihom jiġu pprovduti servizzi oħra meħtieġa.
Il-Ministru tal-Finanzi qal ukoll li l-Gvern qed jikkunsidra skemi oħrajn li permezz tagħhom jiġu offruti inċentivi u eżenzjonijiet lil impjegaturi u impjegati li jorganizzaw skemi li jinkoraġġixxu lill-impjegati jmorru għax-xogħol bir-rota.
Huwa qal li l-Gvern beda jidentifika postijiet tax-xogħol u ċentri edukattivi mdaqqsin, bħall-Isptar Mater Dei, l-Università, u oqsma industrijali, għal dan il-għan.
“Meta joffru lill-impjegati tagħhom faċilitajiet li jiffavorixxu l-użu tar-rota, dawn l-impjegaturi jkunu jistgħu igawdu minn eżenzjonijiet attraenti mit-taxxa,” qal il-Ministru, u żied li aktar tagħrif dwar dawn l-iskemi se jitħabbru fil-futur qarib.
Dawk eliġibbli għall-iskema tal-għotjiet fuq ir-roti jistgħu japplikaw għal għotja ta’ darba ta’ 15.25% fuq il-prezz tax-xiri tar-rota. Il-massimu tal-għotja huwa €70 fil-każ ta’ rota mhux mekkanizzata u €150 f’każ ta’ rota b’magna elettrika.
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Minister for Finance launches grant bicycles
The Minister for Finance Edward Scicluna launched a budget measure whereby individuals who purchased a normal or electric bicycle (pedelic) as from 1st January 2015 will receive a one-time grant equivalent to the VAT paid.
PRESS STATEMENT BY THE MINISTRY OF FINANCE
Minister Scicluna launched the grant scheme on Tuesday 7th April 2015 during an event held at the Zurrieq promenade. Also present for the event were government officials from the Ministry for Finance, representatives from Transport Malta, and representatives from the Bicycle Advocacy Group (BAG). For this grant scheme, the Government is allocating €120,000.
Speaking during the launch, Minister Scicluna spoke of the economic benefits of a great adoption of alternative means of transportation that reduce vehicle emissions and also traffic congestion, such as cycling.
He further underlined that electric bicycles, which are bicycles equipped with an electric motor that provide additional motive force, are also suitable for more everyday non-recreational use, such as commuting to work or to places of education.
“When the BAG initially made the recommendation that the Government should introduce a fiscal incentive to encourage the take-up of normal and electric bicycles, we saw it as a small contribution to improve the country’s collective health by reducing emissions, encouraging physical activity, and also as a way to reduce traffic congestion,” Minister Scicluna said.
Minister Scicluna said that a healthier population would reduce pressures on the public health service, enabling the Government to reallocate existing resources towards providing other much-needed services.
The Minister for Finance also said that the Government is looking into setting up other schemes whereby tax incentives and exemptions are offered to employers and employees who organise schemes which encourage employees to cycle to work.
He said that the Government is identifying large places of employment and centres of education, such as the Mater Dei Hospital, the University, and industrial estates, for this purpose.
“By offering cycling-friendly facilities to their employees, these employers could benefit from attractive tax exemptions,” Minister Scicluna said, adding that more information about these schemes will be announced in the near future.
Eligible applicants may apply for a once-only grant of 15.25% on the purchase price of the bicycle subject to a maximum grant of 70 Euro in the case of a non- mechanised bicycle, and a maximum grant of 150 Euro in the case of a pedelec (electrically-powered) bicycle.
– Wednesday, 8th April, 2015