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5 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 1 JULY 2020 NEWS KURT SANSONE A new ferry service between Sliema, St Julian's, Buġibba and Comino will start operat- ing shortly Fortina Investments said, as controversy rages over the Balluta stop-over. The €20 million venture will see new vessels operating a hop- off, hop-on concept and shall replace the traditional Captain Morgan tour business, the com- pany said. It added the service will initial- ly pick up passengers from the Balluta Bay stop next to the St Julian's water polo club, up to eight times a day. The service has stoked contro- versy over the Balluta stop-over with some residents objecting to the creation of a temporary, floating mooring platform. The platform was granted planning permission and will be in the vicinity of the St Julian's water polo club. But residents fear the fer- ry operation will disturb the swimming zones inside the bay and ticket booths will clog the promenade just like the Sliema Ferries. Fortina Investments insist- ed the ferries will not enter the swimming zones in Balluta Bay, no ticket booths will be set up along the St Julian's promenade and the landing place will not be anywhere near the sandy beach. The company added that it had been in talks with the au- thorities for years to have all ticket booths removed from the Sliema Ferries and replaced with one uniform booth for each op- erator run under strict condi- tions. The company accused its de- tractors of a "misinformation campaign" that prevented peo- ple from understanding what the concept was. "This misinformation cam- paign has only served to mud- dy the waters and prevent peo- ple from seeing this service for what it really is — a bus stop at sea that will board and disem- bark passengers at a temporary landing berth that is already populated by numerous pleas- ure craft," a company spokes- person said. Fortina Investments said the floating landing place will be a temporary platform measuring 10.5m by 5m that will rest on four legs on the undisturbed seabed. It will be anchored to the existing quay and a nature monitoring report will be com- piled over the next five years. The new ferry service is called iSeeMalta and will operate pur- posely-built cleaner vessels. Fortina ferry service to stop at Balluta eight times a day KARL AZZOPARDI BUSINESS owners will be able to redeem government vouchers that customers will pay with, using an electronic system, the Economy Ministry said. Cash from the vouchers will then be credited to a credit card account indicat- ed by the business owner. The new system was unveiled on Tues- day by Economy Minister Silvio Schem- bri, who said the €100 vouchers will start being distributed to people aged 16 and over from next week. The vouchers form part of the govern- ment's stimulus package for the coming three months. Four of the €20 vouchers can be spent on restaurants and accom- modation, while one other €20 voucher can be spent in retail shops and servic- es forcibly closed during the pandemic. Government will be giving more detail on how people can use the vouchers next week. Meanwhile, business owners eligible for the scheme will receive a registered letter from the government with an activation code. Owners will then be able to register their establishment on a dedicated web- site using the VAT number and the acti- vation code. When customers pay using the vouch- er, shops will be able to scan a unique QR code on the individual vouchers. The cash equivalent of the voucher will then be transferred to a credit card ac- count inputted by the business owner up- on registration. The app will be made available for all smart phones, and requires an internet connection. When scanning customers' vouchers, owners will also be obliged to scan the VAT receipt issued with the purchase to ensure that all checks and balances are adhered to, Schembri said. MIMCOL, a government entity, will be administering the system. "We don't want to give business owners more headaches after what they've been through… the scanning of the QR code will eliminate bureaucracy," Schembri said. Schembri added the vouchers will be equipped with security features, includ- ing a vertical edge that will also illuminate under UV light, helping owners to deter- mine the authenticity of the voucher. Owners will be obliged to keep all vouchers claimed, as they will be required to submit these to MIMCOL in the com- ing months. Businesses to use app to accept vouchers Economy Minister Silvio Schembri

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