Simon Busuttil has recently written about the (in)famous departure tax.

It would be good to remind the public that within days of the announcement of the increase in the departure tax in the budget speech of 2004, Alternattiva Demokratika -The Green Party alerted the European Commission to the illegality of this provision.

Moreover, AD's key input from the very outset was demonstrable by virtue of its petitions section on empowering Maltese and Gozitan citizens to invoke their rights at EU level and formally register their objections to various EU infringements, including the departure tax, an option many exercised.

Dr Busuttil declares that over the last three and a half years he has "written no less than four times about departure tax" (Departing Tax, February 20). Unfortunately, this is not enough for Dr Busuttil to be able to claim specious credit for the tardy resolution of the departure tax issue, now the subject of EU legal procedures, and precipitated by an illegality committed by the governing PN of which he is a public exponent.

Dr Busuttil would be well advised at this juncture to candidly address the following question raised by Robert G. Coenen, (Taxes And The European Court February 23), regarding PN electoral manifesto "promises": "Would this also include the individual repayment of the 'illegal' departure tax, going back to 2004?"

The Maltese electorate is entitled to an answer.