Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/217686
12 BUSINESS & FINANCE maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 27 NOVEMBER 2013 Taxation on cars – adding insult to injury €88 million unaccounted for Alfred A. Farrugia The Malta Automobile Club cannot agree to a policy that singles out car owners and drivers for a heavier tax burden, especially when European statistics show that Malta has the highest transport taxes in the EU27 as a percentage of total taxation. The increase of €10 in the annual circulation tax of the absolute majority of cars was uncalled for. The Malta Automobile Club expected a reduction in the vehicle licence and the registration tax and not an increase because these taxes are already disproportionately high in several cases. Some argue that €10 are not much. By the same argument, the government could have proposed a reduction of €10 instead? It would have been a first step. The reduction in the minimum registration tax of used non-EU cars less than 8 years old with an emission of less that 140g/km is welcome. But this is not enough. Given the high registration taxes and the double taxation of an annual circulation tax, the Malta Automobile Club expected a reduction in the registration tax of new and used EU and non-EU cars of all ages, as long as they pass an appropriate emissions test. Charging a minimum tax of €37,437 for a 14-year old car with emissions of more than 250g/km is literally highway robbery. These measures contradict a policy in favour of Charging a minimum tax of €37,437 for a 14-year old car with emissions of more than 250g/km is literally highway robbery classic cars, which the government supports to attract tourists. How can we have classic cars of 30 years or more if after 14 years car owners have to pay taxes higher than the value of the car, if not before? For 2014, the government is estimating a revenue of €98.7 million from car taxation, while the estimated capital expenditure on road construction and improvements amounts to only €10.5 million. So what is being done with the balance of €88.2 million? To solve the bad quality of several roads in Malta, and to address the congestion during rush hours, car owners and drivers do not need additional taxes. This is adding insult to injury. Car owners and drivers need a better and more efficient use of the margin between vehicle taxation and the current amount of capital expenditure on road construction and improvements. During the past four years, the government had €378 million in revenue from taxes on cars, of which it only used €52 million on road construction and improvements, apart from other funds from the EU. This means that the government had €326 million that were not used for transport purposes. In these circumstances, vehicle taxation STEP unveil new website Local ISO 9001 certification specialists STEP have just unveiled their brand new website, found on http://www.iso9001malta.com/. The new STEP website launch coincides with a diverse and far reaching advertising campaign which sees STEP's promotional messaging displayed on prominent news site, print publications and roadside billboards all over the Maltese Islands. The website brings a new look to the fore, complete with a new colour branding, accurately portraying STEP for what it is: a young, dynamic and energetic company, making rapid growth and gains in the certification industry. The new STEP website is database driven and is coded in a smart combination of HTML5 and CSS 3. Using JQuery for animations, the site is also very mobile friendly. The web project was spearheaded and developed internally at STEP and was produced in tandem with Cybermax Creations, so as to retain total control and ownership of the site both now and in future, as well as ensuring that every section of the site is well know to STEP team members. In a statement, STEP co-founder and managing director Luke Desira said that a more user friendly website was needed, "which was the primary motivator behind the new website project. Personally, my favourite aspect of the new STEP site is the slider as it allows us to position ourselves as leading ISO 9001 specialists, using diverse messaging according to the demand of the moment". In addition, Desira said that the rest of the team is highly satisfied with the 'Who We Are' page which introduces each member of the growing STEP team with a short bio and a photo of them on their favourite steps around the island. STEP is a young, rapidly expanding company incorporated in Malta and specialising in ISO 9001 certification and internal audits. Since starting operations, STEP have helped companies and business in all kinds of industries achieve ISO certifications and streamline their business processes to increase efficiency. Recently, the STEP team celebrated a milestone of helping over 25 clients towards ISO 9001 certification in less than one year. Visit the new STEP site http://www.iso9001malta.com/. on should be reduced. It is clear that several thousands of car owners and drivers are not getting a good service from the public administration for the taxes that they are paying, and this is why the Malta Automobile Club was set up. The Club has posted an online petition to reduce taxation on cars, and it is hoped that this Government will begin to listen. Those car owners and drivers who do not agree with an increase in vehicle taxation, and are in favour of a reduction in taxation on cars are invited to sign the petition posted on Change.org or the Malta Automobile Club's Facebook page. More:http://www.change.org/ petitions/hon-minister-for-transportmr-joe-mizzi-and-hon-ministerfor-finance-prof-edward-sciclunareduce-vehicle-taxation