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MaltaToday 23 August 2023 MIDWEEK

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4 NEWS maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 23 AUGUST 2023 4 NEWS KURT SANSONE THE Nationalist Party is ques- tioning the economic benefit of the generous 40% cash rebate offered to film producers, saying it was financing the wages of for- eign film crews. PN spokesperson Julie Zahra was reacting to news over the weekend that the producers of the Gladiator sequel, Para- mount Production, will be re- ceiving €47 million in taxpay- ers' money. The eye watering amount has raised eyebrows among local producers. Zahra said these productions were not fully-filmed in Mal- ta, raising question marks as to the economic spin-off the money will generate locally. "The government has to be clear and explain to the Mal- tese public what financial ben- efits these productions leave in Malta when compared to the size of the cash rebate," Zahra said. She said a co-production fund should be set up to help Mal- tese producers compete on a level playing field with their European counterparts. Apart from this, Zahra said government had only allocated €600,000 for the Screen Fund, which is targeted towards local producers, while paying €143 million to foreign companies. "The spending [on foreign film productions] is a clear ex- ample of wasting public money to the benefit of a few people, while government tries to cre- ate the illusion that Maltese people can have a career in the film industry," Zahra said. But Tourism Minister Clay- ton Bartolo has defended the cash rebate, insisting the coun- try was not forking out its own money to finance the scheme. "Incentives in the form of a cash rebate are offered to for- eign and Maltese productions that decide to carry out their project in Malta, and the in- centives are based on the ex- penditure that would have been made while the film is being shot in Malta," Bartolo said. "Those who are trying to im- ply that the country is dishing out its own money, is deceiving people," the minister added, insisting these fiscal incentives strengthened Malta's compet- itiveness in the film industry while creating work opportuni- ties on the island. Opposition says film industry cash rebate financing foreign crews as minister defends incentive Opposition spokesperson Julie Zahra questions economic spinoff of cash rebate for film productions as Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo defends the fiscal incentive Gladiator's sequel being partly filmed in Malta is expected to receive a cash rebate of €47 million PN MP Julie Zahra FOUR men were hospitalised on Tues- day afternoon after a gas explosion oc- curred on a boat in Ċirkewwa. The men, who sustained burns on different areas of their bodies, re- ceived initial first aid from fellow boat owners before being attended to by Red Cross personnel. Medical emergency teams, accompa- nied by no less than four ambulances, swiftly arrived at the bay to transport all four men to Mater Dei for further medical attention. A police spokesperson told Malta- Today the victims were cooking when the gas explosion happened. The first reports to the police were made around 2:45pm. Boat gas explosion leaves four men injured Boat gas explosion leaves four men injured. (Photo: TVM)

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