PN will propose fairer taxation system for small businesses

The Opposition Leader Bernard Grech said the Nationalist Party will be proposing a fairer taxation system for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

The PN leader was interviewed on Tuesday afternoon by journalist Robert Cremona on NET Live.

Grech said that while the country should welcome foreign investment, local businesses cannot be disadvantaged due to higher taxation rates.

“The system will strengthen the bargaining power of Maltese businesses, because at the end of the day, they are competing for the same market,” Grech said.

Details on the proposals will be issued at a later date.

In the last General Election, the PN had proposed a flat tax system for self-employed and small businesses.

After the PN launched a thematic document that will guide its electoral manifesto for the upcoming General Election, Grech said this showcases the party’s work in the community.

“We believe in strengthening the economy and improving the country’s governance,” he said.

The opposition leader also said the party will be focusing on mental health, stating it is an issue which has affected and continues to affect a lot of people. “It is a very important topic to discuss, even more so after the last year and half.”

“The pandemic has brought about new challenges for everyone, and people are exhausted,” he said.

On the recent issue surrounding an audit report on St Vincent de Paule, Grech said that such stories continue to add to the frustration of people.

“It is not just the PN core, or floaters who are frustrated, but now even Labourites are uneasy,” he said. “This is not the businesses’ responsibility, but politicians’; they must ensure that regulation is followed.”

Speaking on Minister Carmelo Abela’s €7,000 advert, and his refusal to pay back the money, Grech said that accountability promised former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat was never carried out.

“I understand that no politician is perfect and that everyone can make a mistake, but when you persist with the mistake you are in the wrong,” he said.