Green party demands public declarations from MPs

Alternattiva Demokratika yesterday challenged all MPs and MEPs to publicly declare that they will not be benefiting, directly or indirectly, from the latest tax amnesty.

Edward Fenech, the Green party's spokesman on finance, said there were three MPs from the opposition who had interests in property development companies that could benefit from the extension of the amnesty to shareholders' loans.

Speaking at a press conference, Mr Fenech and AD chairman Harry Vassallo called on all MPs to come clean and show they had no conflict of interest in relation to the tax amnesty, which had been readily welcomed by both sides.

"People need an assurance that the amnesty is not, in any way, being launched to benefit the elected political class. Those MPs who are reluctant to make such a public declaration leave themselves exposed to the public's suspicions as to the reasons for the bi-partisan approval of this amnesty," Dr Vassallo said.

He expressed concern at the changes being considered by the government on the tax amnesty.

"We cannot understand why, for example, the government is granting an amnesty to enable people to launder their cash but then allows a period of 12 years in which people can still change their money. Does the government want people to come clean or not? If so, why are people being given another 12 years after the euro changeover?" he asked.

AD felt that if people were to regularise their position, the cut-off date for when they could still be allowed to exchange their lira into euros should not be more than a year from the changeover.

Mr Fenech said that the Prime Minister's assertion that the tax amnesty was being given in order to avoid a hike in property prices was a falsehood. "It is the amnesty that will cause property inflation by allowing undeclared cash to be legitimised and channelled into more property," he said.