Suspend public collections laws, Council for Voluntary sector says

The Malta Council for the Voluntary Sector (MCVS) is asking authorities to suspend current legislations governing public collections and charity shops.

MCVS chairperson Noel Camilleri argued that these measures hinder the work of voluntary organisations, and insisted that these legislations can't be adopted on a one-size-fits-all approach.

Robert Farrugia, deputy chairperson of MCVS, said that several articles will have to be changed or removed completely, including the use of tags in charity shops and the maximum €20 cap for online donations.

"We're not against transparency or accountability, but we can't have more laws that have such an impact on the prosperity of voluntary groups," Farrugia said.

Both Camilleri and Farrugia took umbrage with the fact that a public consultation was carried out in respect to these laws. They noted how consultancy is promoted both in the laws governing NGOs and in the national strategy for the voluntary sector.

The council will be publishing a report detailing the suggested changes being proposed. It was drafted on the basis of four webinars carried out with voluntary organisations centred around the public collections and charity shops regulations.

Earlier this month, the Office of the Commissioner for Voluntary Organisations announced that it will be waiving a €40 fee introduced by the regulations that voluntary organisations have to pay in order to conduct public collection activities or operate charity shops.

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