Malcolm A. Lowell, Balzan
Hope of a fair car tax regime
I hope that when the new car tax regime is announced it is fair and just for all.
I hope that those now taking the decisions have understood that, thanks to modern technology, new cars of fine quality pollute far less than older vehicles, even those with much smaller engines.
I hope that people who have worked hard all their lives and wish to finally own a car of quality at the same price as our EU partners in Western Europe will not be deprived of their dream again. I hope that, in an effort to reduce the number of cars on the road, using the excuse of pollution, fine quality cars will not be taxed to death as they still are today, reducing us again to the status of Communist in all but name, a country that we once were not all that long ago and that we thought was well and truly behind us.
I hope that the new tax regime will be thought out so well that within a few years, visitors to Malta will be able to make the same observation as I do when I travel to Western Europe, that the majority of cars on the road are relatively new and generally of very good quality, and therefore causing minimum pollution.
I hope that when all is said and done, and the new regulations are announced, I and the many thousands of Maltese citizens who have the same expectations will not have to say, once again, "some hope"!
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Albert Bezzina
Jul 7th 2008, 20:54
Part II
Motorists are the Cinderella of the taxman.
Motorists also happen to be the biggest lobby group.
We can, for example, make a car free week and use only public transport. Result? Chaos, late starting of services in all departments and commercial outlets, loss of income loss of government revenue, reduction of commerce and GDP, reduction of fuel consumption leading to a couple of million euro loss in excise tax for Government.
If we think that the new tax regime seems unfair and tailored only to meet certain ‘stakeholders’ requirements we can all postpone further purchases till it is changed again to meet the motorists’ requirements for a change.
Albert Bezzina
Jul 7th 2008, 20:46
Decades of car related tax; registration tax, VAT on registration tax, import tax, VAT on car related services and spares, car licenses, insurance tax and last but not least excise tax and VAT on fuel used by cars - amounting to Lm60million (past) to €180million (present) a year - have been used to keep the shipyards 'afloat', build a hospital and other sundry items.
The Hospital has been built (saving €50million a year - but now needed to run it), the yards are about to be cast off (€20million a year), increased revenue from more expensive petroleum products leading to higher excise tax and VAT returns (€30million annually over prices from three years ago) and new excise tax revenue (since 01/01/2008) from the previously duty free fuel supplied to sea craft (?? €12million) is more than enough extra revenue to half registration tax and buys 200 Hybrid diesel-electric buses.
Matthew Borg Cardona
Jul 7th 2008, 14:50
Any news regarding motorbikes and scooters? I hope that the government will change taxation such that people will be encouraged to switch to this means of transport.
David Abela
Jul 7th 2008, 14:01
Don't worry the new tax will be fair. It will collect the same amount of money per year (LM20million), so you had better stop seeing adverts in foreign countries to compare. If you want reasonably priced cars you will have to emigrate. Small cars will pay a few pennies less than now, medium cars will remain the same while large cars with polluting engines will be more expensive. So this will be an incentive to sell the many used gas guzzlers found in dealerships all over the island while the government will still collect LESS.
Ian Cilia
Jul 7th 2008, 12:49
While I am in agreement with this article, I hope that the government will use a positive incentive to change vehicles and not negative one.
what I mean is that it would not be fair to increase the road tax on the older vehicles but rather incentivise the citiziens to change for vehicles which cost less to tax on a yearly basis.
it is not fair to tax older cars since these have paid the full amount in taxes at the time and furthermore forcing people to change vehicles because cars cannot be sustained due to an increased road tax is anti social and might add excessive burdens to families (which at this point i think we have more than our fair share)
I am all in favour of changing to cleaner vehicles however i think it should be a decision which is made by the individuals and not because the government decided that it should be so.
And anyway if it is more lucrative to switch to cheaper smaller vehicles which are greener, it will be an automatic change since cars do have a lifetime.
vincent a galea
Jul 7th 2008, 10:48
I would also like to hope that this attitude of taxing the citizen in EVERYTHING, without ANY CONSIDERATIONS, STOPS once and for all. I also hope that there will not be some wise guy/s who will only look at a possible promotion if they present the Minister with something that can produce same (or more!) taxations guised under a different 'name'. Do CONSCIENCES still exist?!