Shops set to defy opening ban today

A number of retail shops are expected to defy the law today, a public holiday, and open for business without paying the special licence fee.

Vince Farrugia, director general of the Chamber of Small and Medium Enterprises - GRTU said yesterday that some of the organisation's members were determined to open their outlets without paying the €700 "tax" that would permit them to do so.

The government's decision not to allow shops to open today was simply a "money-making exercise", he charged.

Earlier this week, the GRTU had called on the government to relax the law for this particular holiday, Worker's Day, given that it fell on a Saturday. This meant shops would be closed for an entire weekend. But the government turned down the request.

"This is a gaffe the minister (of finance, Tonio Fenech) and his crew should have avoided," Mr Farrugia said.

"Many smaller retailers will open even though they cannot afford to pay the €700 tax. I pray that the government will not act stupidly and send the police all over Malta and Gozo closing shops that opt to serve the public. Our courts have better things to do."

He continued: "It's a buyers' market and the government should steer away from this. We surveyed retailers and 71 per cent said they wanted to open for business. Even those who will remain shut said they would not object to those who wanted to do business and satisfy their customers."

Mr Farrugia had spearheaded a campaign years ago for shops not to be allowed to open on Sundays. Asked about this change of heart, he said times had changed and the GRTU was not "ostrich-like" but a vibrant organisation that moved with the times.

Moreover, he said, this was not a Sunday issue, which was still a hot potato, but a public holiday that fell on a Saturday in the run-up to Mother's Day.

The Point, the new shopping mall in Tignè, has advertised the outlets there will be open both today and tomorrow.

Asked whether they had the necessary permit, Tignè Mall Limited general manager Edwin Borg said the tenants had been granted permission to open. Those that had not applied for the special permit would not be allowed to open, he added.

When contacted, a spokesman at the Trade Department said it had processed 25 applications by Thursday evening with more applications pouring in throughout the day yesterday.

The Point alone will have 48 outlets open but a good number of them are exempt from the provisions applying to public holidays in the Trade Licensing Act because of the nature of their trade.

The Finance Minister stuck to his decision when contacted yesterday, saying that, on March 31, when shops were granted permission to open because it was a few days before Easter, the government had made it clear it was an exception.

"If we continue making exceptions, these will soon become the rule rather than an exception to the rule," he said.