Friday, 6th November 2009 - 09:21CET
Duty-free products for Gozo?
Labour MEP John Attard Montalto has urged the government to apply for special EU measures allowing Gozitans to buy duty-free products, such as fuel, in compensation for their double insularity as an island off Malta.
Dr Attard Montalto said this would be possible because other member states have managed to obtain such concessions.
Speaking in the European Parliament, Dr Attard Montalto mentioned Portugal, which has submitted a request to apply a reduced rate of excise duty in the autonomous region of Madeira on locally-produced and consumed rum and liqueurs. Malta should do the same on other products with regard to Gozo, he said.
Since Gozo needed assistance through the introduction of similar special measures, it was the duty of the Maltese government to identify which special measures would be best suited and, subsequently, to apply to the EU to adopt such measures, he argued.
"All EU member states endeavour to get special exemptions for their island regions and it appears Malta is an exception."
Asked by The Times to identify which products could be exempted from excise duties in the case of Gozo, Dr Attard Montalto said that "the government should try to apply to have reduced excise duty on leaded and unleaded petrol and gas oil".
According to Commission sources, however, what Dr Attard Montalto is suggesting cannot really apply to Malta. "Can you imagine what would happen if Gozo started selling duty-free petrol? Probably all Maltese would flock to Gozo to fill up their cars," a Commission official said.
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I am sorry to say but u have no idea of the real world and whats happening outside of your personal space probably. First of all its non-sense wot u said that Gozo should be given the indpendence. Are we getting so stupid? 2ndly for your information there are a big number of university students who are from Gozo, and let me remind you another thing most of the intellectual people, succesfull well-known professors and others are gozitans. I am a univeristy student from gozo and i pay the ferry fares every week together with accomodation and other expenses that i need to live in malta. I would invite you to join me and see if you can make it for a month!!We pay tax as maltese do and we should have the same rights as the maltese do. The only difference is that i dont go back to the appartment and find everything ready for me but i have to do everything myself and study!!!!!So please lets stop being stupid and we dont talk when we have no idea of whats the reality!!
John, I know you to be much more intelligent than this. Would you not be spending your time in Brussels better by striving to get what Malta really needs from the EU instead of coming up with such inane ideas?
Please try to do better to justify the trust the Maltese have put in you by electing you (for the second time) to the European Parliament.
Malta is too. Shouldn't that qualify Malta to such
a treatment too! not just Gozo!
So, how much do YOU spend to cross between several villages? I don't care about this idea, but the situation for Gozitans is not at all nice; lack of supplies, lack of personnel, lack of interest in REAL education, all of which you Maltese take for granted.
I'm being rather inclusive, and I apologize for that; I've known very nice Maltese which DO UNDERSTAND the situation. The others, simply have no idea what they're blabing about.
@emanuel bajada - Agreed. Don't think it will come to be realized any time soon, though.
@Fred Von Verra - Don't know you, but I've come upon worse, such as planting modern buildings over (and around) ancient sites. A masterpiece of architecture.
"No wonder most people nowadays except those who are having it good at our expense are cursing the eu"
that would explain why the anti-EU parties did so well at the recent local & european elections then
There we go again. The fact that we have to pay taxes and duties is the EU's and GonziPN's fault only. Ever thought about how a country works, how a society works, how a system like ours works?
Where do you think shall the money come from that is needed to built and service roads, hospitals, schools, etc, or to secure the services of teachers, police officers, doctors, nurses, other caretakers, etc.?
@ all:
I live in Mgarr and work in Marsascala, that's amost an hour drive to work every morning. Buses to Mgarr don't go frequently, big supermarkets and specialised shops are also far away.
Why should the people in Gozo, who often live more central and closer to work and shops etc. than I do, why should these people get more tax benefits than I?
It just wouldn't be fair!
Hope that, between the lines is well understood.
Gozitans flock to Malta to get an education that the *Maltese* government repeatedly refuses to give.
@Carl Briffa - How much does it take you to get to your university? It takes me nothing less then 10 EUR daily to get to a school in Malta, not counting the time spent on traveling.
You may not have noticed it, Gozo is the cavemen's heaven you all dream about. Only problem is, Gozitans aren't cavemen, it's the government (and certain Maltese) which threat them as such.
As to the news, sounds like a good idea to me.
I am surprised how some commentators are so gullible and immediately rush to print without first verifying the contents!
This is nothing but cheap political gimmicks!
Well done JAM, for this gimmick; however you did not succeed to fool me.
JC.
Far Out Dude!
There is a slightly better version that might fit better. Why not increse (tax by 2%) fuel in Malta? Thay way it won't be profitable for Gozitans to cross over to Malta to sell fuel, Maltese will still benefit from the difference, and the Government will have extra revenue. And everybody is happy.
Keep in mind that this proposition was voiced by JAM who happens to be a PL MEP had it been St. Simon or David it would have been the news of the century!
Considering the duty on fuel, Malta residents with a Gozo address 'ID' card (and there are hundreds if not thousands) would gain by driving to Gozo just to fill up! It will create a two-tier citizen state, with some more equal than others.
Of course Maltese and Gozitans would win but the eu petty dictators would them lose their customs duties. No wonder most people nowadays except those who are having it good at our expense are cursing the eu, its petty dictators and those who brought us into this disastrous situation and those who want to keep us in it.
It would make short beaks in Gozo more attractive.
It would also give a boost to all the Gozitan economy by reducing a primary cost.
I have wrote on other times that Gozo has become too expensive especially for maltese who want to go for a week-end break.
To mention that every maltese would have a gozo ID and cross over evry time he needs to fill up is pure nonsense !
Gozo is too close to Malta and it is too cheap and too easy to get from one island to the other. Such a proposed tax benefit would be abused heavily, and at the end of the day nobody would win from it.
At least some politicians are seeing the light on how everyone has been negatively affected by eu membership. Many people have seen it before.
Every maltese Citizen would try to get a Gozitan ID card, isn't already unfair that they get subsidies ticket to come to Malta for their entertainment and we have to pay the full fare.
I agree that the Gozitans should have special fares only in connection for travelling for work and health purposes only.
This is Cheap Politics
If Portugal can do it then Maltese should also do it.
Please do not treat us like 2nd class European citizens because we have the local government treating us so.
And let's not forget the gozitans that will start to cross over to Malta to sell their duty free wares!
With all due respect, what happens after such a decision would be implemented is none of this Commission official's business. If other countries really have it in place, I can't see why Malta should not.
On a practical level, I don't think that "probably all Maltese" have the time to:
1. drive up to Cirkewwa;
2. wait in the queue to board the ferry (alongside "probably all Maltese");
3. board the ferry (paying the Eur 15.70 car+driver fare);
4. queue up at fuelling stations ("probably all Maltese" would be there);
5. fill up;
6. board the ferry back to Malta (after having waited in the queue with "probably all Maltese");
7. arrive at Cirkewwa; and
8. drive home (wherever that may be).
I guess it COULD however, increase internal tourism with people crossing over to Gozo to enjoy a day or two in the weekend and filling up the tank whilst in Gozo, thereby taking advantage of duty free fuel. I'd be in favour of that, more trips of Gozo Channel, more activities happening in Gozo, more money flowing into the Gozitan economy!