Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1103271
11.04.19 3 NEWS Tax refunds on the way People who worked in 2017 will start receiving a tax refund in the coming days ranging from €40 to €68 depending on the applicable tax rate TAX refunds totalling €11.5 million will be sent out over the coming days, Finance Minister Edward Scicluna announced. More than 200,000 people are expected to benefit from the Budget measure. People who earned up to €60,000 in 2017 will receive a refund ranging be- tween €40 and €60 for singles, €44 and €68 for married individuals, and €40 and €64 for parents. e measure was an electoral pledge and this is the second year it is being im- plemented. Scicluna said the refunds were based on the tax returns received last year for the base year 2017. People who paid no tax because their income fell below the taxable threshold will receive the highest amount. "e government opted for this type of tax relief because the traditional method of adjusting the tax brackets would have benefitted most those on the top rungs, while having no impact on those who pay no taxes," he said. Scicluna said this was one of the target- ed measures adopted over the past five years to inject more money in people's pockets and reduce the at-risk-of-pover- ty rate. FROM PAGE 1 "Gozo Minister Justine Caruana's work in the negotiation process was crucial when it came to bringing Noov- le to the Xewkija innovation hub," the spokesperson said. e spokesperson underscored that one of the challenges encountered by the company is that there isn't a suffi- cient human resource knowledge base of locals trained to work in the services it provides. In light of this, Noovle is in discussions with MCAST to start offering courses which will train local students in areas related to the sector, with a view to- wards subsequently offering them em- ployment opportunities. "Initially Noovle will bring in their own staff, but they are in talks with MCAST to train local students, aim- ing to eventually employ Gozitans," the spokesperson noted. "In addition, the company - which is Google certified - is also in discus- sions to offer students scholarship pro- grammes for training with Google in the United States." Noovle – which also has operations in France, Slovakia, Switzerland and the United Kingdom – helps its clients to move their business in the direction of a Digital Enterprise Model. Its network and portfolio of clients is impressive and comprises various big firms across Italy, such as Barilla, Fer- rero, the Sapienza University of Rome, Sky, Eni, Fiat and many others. Noovle is one of Google's collaborators, also developing products for the internet giant's clients, with the spokesperson saying that it has a number of interesting pilot projects in mind for Gozo. e Noovle Gozo project carries an in- vestment of €650,000 and the company aims to employ 35 people within three years of starting its business in Gozo. Noovle's strategy for its Gozo opera- tions is twofold: namely the setting up of a technical team that will be certified by Google through specific Resource Training, followed by the establishment of the centre focusing on R&D and blockchain development. e spokesperson added that the Gozo ministry is also in negotiations with two other ICT companies, with a view towards turning the Gozo Innova- tion Hub, which is being developed by Malta Enterprise and Malta Industrial Parks on the site of the former Malta Dairy Products plant, into a location attracting investment from companies specialising in AI and machine-learning technology, amongst other areas. mcosta@mediatoday.com.mt Google partner to launch pilot projects at Gozo hub Gozo minister Justyne Caruana (second from right) attended a Cloud Summit, organised by Noovle at Castello Dei Baroni in Wardija in October 2018