John Consiglio accuses me of writing with a bias in favour of property owners when he clearly has his own social (socialist?) agenda. Apparently, objectivity and fairness are not values worth aspiring to.

His contribution to the Times of Malta (July 14) started out with a reference to tax on vacant property but swiftly moved on to advocating “legislation to prohibit the charging of rents that go beyond a certain percentage of the occupants’ income”. The editor clearly thought that this was the most significant part of Consiglio’s contribution since the quote was repeated in large font.

Consiglio appears to be advocating a return to rent control, where rental value is imposed by the State on a property owner, irrespective of the location and size of the property concerned, the only criterion being the tenant’s income level.

This proposal flies in the face of recent decisions of the European Courts of Justice, decreeing that where the State imposes a tenant on an owner, the rent should be in line with market levels and the rights of the owner should not be prejudiced.