Chamber conveys concerns to Prime Minister

Concerns the Malta Chamber of Commerce and Enterprise has with regard to the budget deficit and national debt situation were communicated to Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi by council members who met him at his office in Valletta.

Chamber president Louis Apap-Bologna said the government should continue in its efforts to place its financial house in order as a primary solution to the structural deficit. This was to be achieved through a determined elimination of wastages, abuse, bad planning and mismanagement of public resources, he said.

The national debt situation was impinging on national competitiveness because the government was insisting on solving the problem through higher taxation, Mr Apap-Bologna added. He said the private sector could no longer afford to pay higher taxes as this - together with bureaucracy and other government induced costs - was rendering Malta uncompetitive. Other EU states, like Italy and Austria, recently announced they would reduce corporate taxation for competitiveness purposes.

The chamber also raised the issue of the implementation of the "safeguard clause" on agri-food products and lamented the lack of a Border Inspection Post at the Malta Freeport.

At the end of the meeting, Mr Apap-Bologna pledged the chamber's support for the necessary reforms in the country by the government, in particular, where liberalisation and the streamlining of operations within the public sector were concerned.