David Casa’s appeal to protect the country’s treasures (August 26) is a truly welcome contribution. He mentions the churches among the country’s treasures. He wrote that “many of these churches are in dire need of restoration both in the interior and the exterior and it would be a huge mistake if we were to ignore this fact”.
Balzan parish church is one of them. During these last 10 years alone, the parish spent well over €91,000 on interior restoration, among the objects being an 18th century “Platania” pipe organ and the invaluable Calì paintings in the choir.
In addition to the €91,000, the parish paid a bill of €30,690 in taxes during the same period.
The parish has now started the process of restoring the exterior of the church. At present, the photographic documentation of the eight façades of the church is underway, this alone at a cost of €4,000. The next step would be to get the necessary permits from the Curia and the Malta Environment and Planning Authority. I believe it will be of great help to exempt the churches undergoing refurbishment from income tax. An alternative solution would be to reimburse the tax paid, provided it would go solely towards restoration works.
If this is feasable, I am sure that Mr Casa will do his best so that his appeal to protect the country’s treasures will be put into practice. Unfortunately, my letter to the Minister of Finance has remained just “acknowledged”.