Brejk Turistiku

Igħidulna li t-tkabbir tat-turiżmu għandu jiġi mrażżan għax resqin lejn qagħda fejn se nifqgħu l-ħila tal-pajjiż biex jilqa’ għall-esiġenzi li das-settur ipoġġi fuq l-infrastruttura ekonomika u soċjali.

Jiskantani t-tertiq tal-imħuħ dwar jekk u kif għandniex napplikaw brejk raġonevoli għat-tkabbir turistiku. Hemm metodu ħafif u effiċjenti kif dat-trażżin jista’ jitwettaq bla kummiedji ta’ patrunaġġi okkulti.

Kull binja ġdida turistika, kull titjib f’arranġamenti turistiċi eżistenti, jrid isir biss għalihom taħt il-liġijiet ta’ ippjanar u kull liġi oħra viġġenti.

Jiġifieri investiment f’lukandi ġodda u tkabbir f’dawk eżistenti irid ikun “għal rasu”, marbut biss mal-ħidma tal-lukandiera… mhux mal-bini ta’ appartament u uffiċċji. Dak għandu jitqies bħala ħidma differenti li tgħodd għal investimenti oħra x’imkien ieħor.

B’hekk investimenti turistiċi jiġu evalwati skont kemm tassew irendu bħala tali, mhux għax ikunu qed jirkbu fuq il-pedala ta’ binjiet li se jinbigħu bħala residenzi u uffiċċji ġodda.

BIBIEN IDURU

Interessanti l-kontroversja li qamet dwar bidla fir-regolamenti tas-servizz publiku li jiddefinixxu kif impjegat iħalli kariga ta’ sorvelja fuq xi settur ekonomiku jew professjonali. Ma jippermettulux minnufih jieħu kariga fis-settur li kien jissorvelja. Id-dettalji dwar il-kontroversja għad iridu joħorġu u ta’ min isegwihom.

Fil-maġġoranza tal-pajjiżi Ewropej jeżistu regoli kontra din il-biċċa ta’ bibien “iduru”, kif isejħulha. Snin ilu, meta kienet qed tiġi diskussa fil-Parlament Malti liġi dwar l-Awtorità tal-Kumnikazzjoni qajjimt il-ħtieġa ta’ miżura li ma tħallix pereżempju, lil min imexxi l-awtorità jmur minnufih f’kariga għolja mal-Go jew il-Melita. Għall-bidu il-ministru Nazzjonalista konċernat ma riedx jaf. Wara seduta jew tnejn ta’ diskussjoni qabel mal-proposta u daħħalha.

F’anqas minn sena wara li l-abbozz sar liġi, l-istess ministru kellu jħaddimha. Sakemm tiddaħħal u titwettaq b’mod trasparenti u raġonevoli, hi miżura meħtieġa ħafna.

TAXXI U RESPONSABBILTÀ SOĊJALI

Fl-ewwel sena tal-ħidma tiegħu, il-gvern imwaqqaf fi Franza taħt il-presidenza ta’ Emmanuel Macron naqqas it-taxxi fuq id-dħul u l-kapital tas-saffi soċjali l-aktar għonja. Il-gvern iġġustifika dan billi sostna li l-impriżi kkontrollati minn dawn is-saffi soċjali se jinvestu aktar, joħolqu aktar impjiegi u jżidu fil-ħolqien tal-ġid li jibbenefika lil kulħadd.

Macron ġie mixli li hu l-president tal-bankiera.

Dis-sena l-gvern żied it-taxxi fuq id-diesel, meħtieġ minn ħafna nies bi dħul baxx jew mezzan li jgħixu barra l-bliet biex imorru bil-karozza għax-xogħol. Ir-raġuni mogħtija mill-gvern kienet li hemm bżonn jitnaqqas l-użu ta’ fjuwil li jniġġes, skont id-deċiżjonijiet meħuda fil-konferenza internazzjonali ta’ Pariġi dwar l-ambjent.

Il-protesti kontra l-miżura baqgħu sejrin għal ġimgħa wara l-oħra u żiedu fil-vjolenza.

English Version – Brake on tourism

We get told that a brake on tourism growth has become necessary since we’re reaching a stage where the capacity of the island to cope with the demands that this sector makes on the social and economic infrastructure will be destroyed.

One cannot but be surprised at the current uncertainties about whether and how we should apply a reasonable brake on tourism growth. There is a simple and efficient method by which to do so, without giving rise to strategies of occult patronage.

All new tourism projects as well as all improvements to existing tourism facilities would be planned on a stand-alone basis, as defined by planning and all other relevant laws.

Thus, such investments in new hotels or additions to existing ones must be designed solely for use as a hotel facility, and it would not be possible to package them with the building of apartments or offices. The latter would be considered as a completely different line of business, earmarked for investment elsewhere.

In this way, the return on tourism would be evaluated according to how much investments in the sector pay back in and of themselves, not on the basis of cross subsidization with outlays for construction that will be sold as residences or offices.

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Revolving doors

An interesting controversy has arisen around the change in public service regulations that specify how an employee can leave a post in which which he/she monitored some economic or professional sector. The rules would prevent that employee from immediately shifting to a job in the sector which he/she used to monitor. Details about this ongoing controversy are still not available but it will be useful to follow how the issue develops.

Most European countries have rules to restrict “revolving doors” in career movements, as they are called. Years ago, when the Maltese Parliament was discussing a law defining the statute of the Communications Authority, I raised the need to introduce a measure that would not allow say, the authority’s chairman to leave and immediately move into a top job at Go or Melita. At first, the relevant minister of the then PN administration resisted the suggestion. After a sitting or two, he changed his mind, agreed to the proposal and included a clause to this effect in the text.

In less than a year after the law came into force, the same minister very much needed to make use of that clause. So long as they are introduced and implemented in a transparent and reasonable manner, measures to control revolving doors are most necessary.

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Taxes and social responsibility

During its first year in office, the French government put in place by President Emmanuel Macron reduced taxes on the income and capital holdings of the richest strata of the population. The government justified this by stating that enterprises controlled by members of this strata would now invest more, create more jobs and stimulate economic growth, to the benefit of all.

Macron was accused of having become the president of the bankers.

This year, the government increased taxes on diesel for cars, a product that is considered vital by lower and middle income people who drive from the suburbs to the city on their way to work. The reason the government gave for this related to the need to reduce the use of polluting fuels, in line with decisions taken at the international conference on the environment held in Paris.

Protests against this measure went on week in, week out, becoming more violent by the week.