Vehicle registration tax system is grossly discriminatory - Labour

While the government had said it could not discriminate among the different sectors of consumers by offering different utility tariffs, it had gone on a diametrically-opposed course in the case of the motor vehicle registration tax system, opposition transport spokesman Joe Mizzi said in Parliament on Wednesday.

Speaking during the debate in second reading of the Motor Vehicles Registration and Licensing and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, Mr Mizzi said lower-class citizens were being made to pay more than other sectors - even if the vehicles in use cost less.

He appealed to the minister to place the economic impact assessment on the Table of the House. This was the only way of changing how politics are done on the islands: "Give the opposition the proof I was asking for and it will be able to take decisions whether or not to support the government."

People were being excessively burdened through the government's incompetence. This had been going on for far too long and it was high time that the government resigned.

The opposition had asked for the economic impact assessments because it wanted to gauge how the standards of the tariffs would hit not only the citizen but also importers and companies that had hundreds of workers on their books. How would these be affected? Was there any strategy to shield against negative impacts?

Instead of giving an example, the government had made unacceptable political manoeuvres under the guise of exemptions.

A number of points which he had put forward were not included in the Bill under discussion, like the elimination of provisions which only increased bureaucracy and left room for corruption.

The way tariffs were being calculated went against the free market provisions and this did not make sense. It was clear the government was using the European Commission as a smokescreen to increase taxes. This was nothing but exploitation.

The tariffs were not only based on outdated principles but they went against social justice.

Mr Mizzi also took umbrage at the fact that Clause 21 of the Bill wiped out Clause 27 of the original Act and as a consequence, the House would no longer have the chance to debate Transport Malta.

The government was taking no real heed of the many problems facing the country, preferring instead to tell the people that all problems would be solved with the new power station.

With Sicily having its own energy supply problems, the power grid with the European mainland would take years to complete. So where would the electricity back-up come from, and how expensive would it be?

The government was giving the people bad examples of the seriousness of oaths and showing it was ready to break laws. In the vote on the power station motion the Nationalists had not had the conscience to admit they had made a mistake, so they had resorted to framing an opposition MP. The opposition could not stand back and watch the country breaking up.

Mr Mizzi said the government was misinterpreting the opposition's watchdog tactics on parliamentary democracy to let people think it was wasting time. He denied ever having broken any agreement on when any vote should be taken, and said the opposition would not accept to be abused of by the government.

It had been his constitutional right and duty to highlight ongoing corruption in the registration of vehicles, but the government still seemed to be intent on catching the small fry while the big fish went scot-free. The government was doing its best to use Parliament for political advantage, Mr Mizzi concluded.

Ċensu Galea (PN) said the Bill constituted the second part of a radical change in the system of vehicle registration, now concentrating on various categories of larger and commercial vehicles which had the greatest impact on the service life of the infrastructure. The operative principle still remained the drive for least poss-ible emissions and payment according to the emissions of various categories of vehicles.

The importance of transport would continue to be basic for the economy's major sectors, but it must be ensured that vehicles on the roads were of the best quality. Could an incentive benefit be introduced when, for example, a 20-year-old imported private car was given a change of engine for less consumption and pollution?

Regarding Mr Mizzi's earlier comments on corruption, he said he had spoken several times in the House on the misuse of parliamentary privilege by speaking about people who could not defend themselves. The situation was exacerbated by the media reporting and repeating such comments.

Concluding, Mr Galea said he himself had sent parts of the reports of the Commission against Corruption to the Police Commissioner, but he had never been sent for in years.

Alfred Sant (PL) said the Bill contradicted EU laws and illustrated the lack of local scrutiny on their impact on Maltese life. The government was not monitoring well, and Parliament was not even being given the chance to properly scrutinise EU papers.

The EU Commission had moved to implement from June 1 new ways of fishing in the Mediterranean, something that other countries were against. He had asked how this would affect fishing in the central Mediterranean, but had received no reply and there seemed to have been no meaningful study on the impact on Maltese fishermen.

Dr Sant said remote gaming currently accounted for nine per cent of the Maltese economy, and was, therefore, badly needed. But even in this sector Malta faced having to apply EU rules. The Union was currently working on the harmonisation of remote gaming, and Parliament should seriously scrutinise what was happening and how any new EU law would affect Malta. But this was not happening. Parliament must be given full satisfaction.

This was another example of lack of action on the government's part, he concluded.

Finance Minister Tonio Fenech closed the debate saying that the reform in itself was more social than Mr Mizzi seemed to think.

The minister's speech was reported in full in yesterday's edition.

The Bill was approved with the opposition voting against.