Qatt ma rajtha ħaġa siewja li toqgħod tħammem fuq x’sar fl-imgħoddi u kif id-dinja terġa’ ddur lura lejn dak li messu sar qabel. Biss jiġu drabi meta ma tkunx tista’ żżomm milli taħseb kif l-affarijiet jispiċċaw jirrepetu ruħhom; kif dak li qed jiġi propost illum, seta’ sar ħafna qabel.
Hekk ġrali jien u naqra dwar proposti “ġodda” biex Għawdex jingħata tmexxija reġjonali. Din trid tippermetti lill-Għawdxin jirregolaw l-iżvilupp tal-gżira tagħhom; tassigura li l-poteri eżekuttivi tal-gvern nazzjonali jibqgħu effettivi f’Għawdex; issostni l-istruttura ta’ “ministeru” għal Għawdex; u tippromwovi l-parteċipazzjoni tas-soċjetà ċivili fil-ħidma reġjonali.
Bejn l-1996 u l-1998, ma’ oħrajn, tajt ħafna ħsieb dwar dan il-proġett. Konna wassalnieh, wara konsultazzjoni wiesgħa, sa abbozz ta’ liġi għal Kunsill Reġjonali. Ħafna mill-ideat li daħlu f’dak l-abbozz qed jerġgħu jittellgħu llum. Kollha għadhom validi, anki jekk donnhom intesew u reġgħu “nstabu” mill-ġdid.
***
Spejjeż tax-xogħol
Skont l-Eurostat, l-ispiża tax-xogħol (“labour cost”) f’Malta fl-aħħar sentejn mkejla bis-siegħa, inkluża magħha l-kontribuzzjoni tas-sigurtà soċjali, baqgħet ma żdiditx fl-2015 u l-2016. Dan hu punt li ilu jinteressani u naħseb diġà semmejtu qabel f’dan il-blogg.
Kif qed jirnexxielha l-ekonomija Maltija żżomm ċassa l-ispiża tax-xogħol fis-siegħa? Diffiċli tifhem kif qed jiġri hekk meta ekonomiji li sejrin ħafna agħar mill-ekonomija Maltija qed jaraw żieda, ġieli sostanzjali, fl-ispiża tax-xogħol. Per eżempju l-Greċja, fejn l-ekonomija għadha moribonda, ż-żieda kienet ta’ 0.8 fil-mija bejn l-2105 u l-2016. Fi Franza, fejn l-ekonomija għadha batuta, seħħet żieda ta’ 1.5 fil-mija.
L-unika spjega li nista’ nara bħala raġonevoli, hi li minkejja li l-qgħad kważi xxejjen fostna, dan qed jiġri wkoll minħabba l-prekarjat fid-dinja tax-xogħol u minħabba l-użu ta’ ħaddiema immigranti li qed jitħallsu pagi baxxi.
***
Ecofin f’Malta
Fil-weekend li għadda l-Ecofin, il-kunsill tal-ministri tal-finanzi, kellu jiltaqa’ “informalment” f’Malta. Il-ġurnal “Le Soir” ippubblika storja dwar rapport imħejji mill-presidenza Maltija tal-Unjoni Ewropea fuq l-impatt li qed ikollhom ir-regolamenti ġodda fl-Unjoni Ewropea dwar it-tmexxija tas-sistema tat-taxxi.
Uħud mill-membri tal-Parlament Ewropew ħadu skandlu. J’alla jekk ma kitbux ittra ta’ protesta lill-Ministru Malti tal-finanzi. Il-ħsieb tagħhom kien li Malta qed tara kif tfixkel il-ġlieda kontra l-evażjoni tat-taxxa. Kienu mgħaddba.
Iddobbajt kopja tar-rapport li tpoġġa għad-diskussjoni. Ma rajtlu xejn tal-babaw fih. Imma jista’ li qed inkun suġġettiv??
Ir-rapport jiddiskuti kif numru ta’ bidliet ta’ malajr jinsabu deħlin waħda wara l-oħra fir-regolamentazzjoni Ewropea dwar taxxi. Dan jista’ joħloq inċertezzi u jxekkel proġetti ta’ investiment.
Sibtu punt validu ħafna.
English Version – Gozo Regional Council
I never thought it a good idea to spend time mulling over the past and how life leads back to what should have already been done but was not. Still there are times when it is not possible to keep away from noting that issues tend to reappear; and how today’s proposals could have been carried out earlier.
This is how I felt when reading “new” suggestions that are being advanced for Gozo to acquire a regional management structure. This would allow Gozitans to regulate the development of their island; ensure that the executive powers of the national government would still remain in force in Gozo; maintain the set-up of a “ministry” for Gozo; and promote the participation of civil society in regional initiatives.
Between 1996 and 1998, along with others, I had given much thought to such a project. Following wide consultations, we had reached the point where a draft bill for a Gozo regional council was on the runway. Many of the ideas inserted in that bill have now resurfaced. All of them remain meaningful, even if they seem to have been forgotten and are now being rediscovered.
***
Labour costs
According to Eurostat, hourly labour costs in Malta during the last two years, including social security contributions, stayed constant in 2015 and 2016. This aspect of our economy has intrigued me for quite some time; indeed, I must have already referred to it in this blog.
How is the Maltese economy succeeding to freeze hourly labour costs? This is hard to explain, especially when economies which are doing much worse than ours are experiencing a rise, sometimes steep, in labour costs. For instance in Greece, with a moribund economy, between 2015 and 2016, labour costs rose by 0.8 percent. In France where economic performance is still weak, the increase stood at 1.5 per cent.
The only reasonable explanation I can see is that though unemployment has been virtually obliterated here, this has basically been happening on the back of precarious employment and the deployment of immigrant workers who get paid low wages.
***
Ecofin in Malta
This past weekend, Ecofin – the EU council of finance ministers – was due to meet “informally” in Malta. The paper Le Soir published a story about a report prepared by the Maltese presidency of the EU regarding the impact that new rules in the Union concerning the administration of tax systems could have.
Some MEPs were scandalised. To demonstrate their anger, they might even have written a protest letter to the Maltese finance minister, in the belief that Malta was trying to hamper the struggle against tax evasion.
I managed to secure a copy of the report that was drafted for discussion and hardly saw how it could have seemed so awful. Was that because my point of view in examining the text was too subjective??
The report discusses how various quick changes are being introduced one after the other in European tax frameworks. They could be creating uncertainties and delaying investment projects.
It is a very valid point to make.
Post a comment