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maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 25 NOVEMBER 2015 3 News Discounts, amazing offers and exclusive deals! THIS WEEKEND ONLY Fri 27 th | Sat 28 th | Sun 29 th BLACK FRIDAY bhsmalta bhs@camillerigroup.com ww.bhs.com.mt Casual election after resignation of Floriana deputy mayor MATTHEW VELLA FLORIANA deputy mayor Ivan Hallett has resigned his seat, and a casual election has been called to fill the vacancy. The Labour deputy mayor was taken in for questioning by the police last week in an investiga- tion dealing with alleged contra- band goods. Hallett runs International Ex- press, which operates a fleet of 20 vehicles travelling between Malta and Sicily on a daily basis, organising groupage for general goods and foods. A search by Customs officials has resulted in the discovery of a large quantity of alcohol in the company's stores on which no duty had been paid. The Cus- toms Department said that no fewer than 2,634 bottles of li- queur, 2,280 bottles of vermouth, 2,616 bottles of vodka, 552 bot- tles of whisky and 26,661 bottles of wine were confiscated. A large quantity of non-alco- holic drinks was also found and is currently being checked to as- certain whether or not tax had been paid. Casual election could cost Labour majority In the unpredictable casual elections, candidates must achieve 50% of the quota estab- lished in the last election. The quota for Floriana in 2015 was 229, meaning that in order to get elected a candidate must garner 115 votes to snatch the seat. In the last round of elections, Labour snatched the major- ity back in Floriana, which was previously led by independent mayor Nigel Holland. However, Hallett's resignation could see Labour lose its major- ity in the five-seat council if its only other candidate, Albert de Marco, does not get the neces- sary 115 votes from Hallett's tally. In the unlikely eventuality that de Marco does not garner enough votes, the seat could go to Holland – who missed out on winning a seat by a meagre 21 votes – or Publio Agius, also an independent candidate. If Holland or Agius win the seat, Labour would not only lose the majority but it could also cost the party the mayorship if current mayor Davinia Sammut does not enjoy the confidence of the majority of councillors. If nobody reaches the quota or nobody submits a nomination, Labour would co-opt somebody to fill in Hallett's seat. PN economic vision eyes tax incentives for greener businesses News CONTINUES FROM PAGE 1 An Economy for the People aims to deliver five core horizontal driv- ers: A robust economic growth engine, Environment as a differ- entiator, Equity and human dig- nity, Digital beacon and Gozo as mainstream. The document touches on a vast number of sectors, ranging from the economy and infra- structure, transport and Gozo, with 20 priorities and 145 rec- ommendations or policy driv- ers for the Opposition if elected to power. "This document will focus on the role of the people within our economy," Grech said. "We want an economy that serves the people and not the other way round." Grech said that the document would be taken to the public for feedback. A final plan would be laid out at a later stage, closer to the election date. Every month, the Nationalist Party will be giving more details of each of the 20 priorities pre- sented in the document. One of the measures presented relates to a tax incentive on busi- nesses' carbon footprints, which will be used to determine "the intensity of the fiscal benefit to be granted" on the environment of businesses. It proposes a new taxation for businesses, based on the gross value added, built- up space and number of employ- ees. An anchor measure presented in the document aims to es- tablish a fund through a public private partnership. This fund plans to support low-income earners to raise their income through material productivity enhancement. A priority which targets the labour force participation pro- poses the setting up of a fiscal incentives framework. At the same time, the document high- lights how "Malta should not be an artificial playground for the rich, but a hub of global knowl- edge". One of the top priorities also sets out the plan to develop an underground master plan. It aims to define the planning pa- rameters of underground infra- structure and basement spaces. The PN is proposing a 10- year infrastructural plan, to be agreed by the two parties in Par- liament. A major initiative also men- tions the designation of path- finding localities to enter into strategic alliances with indus- tries. This will help in the inte- gration and funding of local and specific urban technology appli- cation programmes so as to be able to showcase pilot projects for the next generations. It also mentions the integration of in- telligent transport systems. Ivan Hallett