Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/620988
8 maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 30 DECEMBER 2015 News 8 WIN the book To win answer the right question tick the right answer/answers? ❏ Inga Boissevain was Dutch ❏ Inga Boissevain lived in Malta and spoke Maltese ❏ Inga Boissevain was married to Jeremy Boissevain ❏ Inga Boissevain was Swedish ❏ A Maltese Marriage is historical fiction Send your answers by 17 December to: MediaToday, WIN A BOOK FROM Choppy Books, Vjal ir-Rihan, San Gwann The winner of the set of four books by Arturo Caruana Are Bernice Cohen from Kalkara and Sandra Grech from Attard published by Choppy Books A Maltese Marriage Gaming chief 'convinced' industry will survive new EU tax regime MGA executive chairperson Joseph Cuschieri warns that organised crime within the gaming industry 'has never been this sophisticated' TIM DIACONO MALTA Gaming Authority's ex- ecutive chairman insisted that the gaming industry would continue to flourish on the island, even if pro- posed EU legislation to clamp down on tax avoidance goes through. "The threat [of a common Europe- an consolidated corporate tax base] has been building up for a long time now and will come to pass in some form in the future, be it in five years or ten," Joseph Cuschieri said on Monday night's edition of the cur- rent affairs interview programme 'Reporter'. "Gaming practitioners are already preparing for the future when Malta might lose its fiscal advantage, but our competitiveness in the gaming sector is not only about our fiscal regime. "If Malta remains innovative and competitive through effective legis- lation, an effective regulatory body and the provision of necessary spe- cialised services, then I am confi- dent that the sector will withstand such proposed legislation." In order to attract foreign compa- nies to set up subsidiaries on the is- land, Malta offers an incredibly ad- vantageous refund on shareholder dividends – profits that they would have made in other EU countries. While the statutory corporate tax rate is 35%, shareholders can take advantage of tax rebates after the company's taxed profits are dis- tributed among them. This rebate on dividends reaches as high as six-sevenths of the corporate tax, effectively reducing shareholders' individual tax burdens to 0-5%. However, the European Parlia- ment last month voted overwhelm- ingly in favour of recommendations to tackle tax avoidance – that in- clude the establishment of a com- mon European corporate tax base that would streamline the way companies calculate profits. The Labour and Nationalist par- ties have both opposed the proposal and indeed all six Maltese MEPs voted against it last month. KPMG partner Juanita Bencini recently described the proposals as "dark clouds on the horizon" that could threaten the local financial services industry, as well as Malta's sover- eignty over its own fiscal affairs. However, Cuschieri sounded a far more upbeat tone over the potential tax changes, claiming that the pres- ence of so many international gam- ing brands on the island will act as a pull factor for other companies to set up shop here. "Other advantages include the fact that English is an official language here, that the cost of doing business is relatively low, that our regulatory regime is transparent, our economy is growing, our political system sta- ble, and our climate warm." He warned though that Malta must "refine" the way it is marketed abroad as a gaming destination, so as to remain one step ahead of its competitors. "Malta was the first mover with regard to regulating the gaming industry, but other countries have since followed suit and places like the Isle of Man and Gibraltar now share similar tax jurisdictions," he said. "We must be innovative and come up with fresh ideas on how we can promote Malta as an attractive destination for gaming companies." Indeed, he noted that Gaming- Malta was set up earlier this year to specifically focus on promoting Malta as a gaming destination, a task previously carried out by the MGA. 'Organised crime has never been this sophisticated' The Maltese gaming industry was shaken last summer when several companies were accused of money laundering and suspected links to the 'Ndrangheta mafia. When asked by host Saviour Balzan on the checks and balances put in place by the MGA to ensure that gam- ing companies are not simply fronts for money laundering, Cuschieri warned that organised crime "has never been this sophisticated". "We conduct vigilant due dili- gence exercises on new companies, but the way organised criminals de- sign commercial set-ups has never been this sophisticated and as a regulator, we must ensure continu- ous rigorous surveillance." Indeed, he said that the MGA is currently investing in fresh tech- nology that would grant it a "more sophisticated system to monitor the online marketplace". "However, we must keep things in perspective. I cannot provide a 100% guarantee that the events of last summer won't repeat them- selves, but that was the first such incident in the 13 years since Malta started regulating the gaming in- dustry." TIM DIACONO THE leader of a pro-life movement has vehemently rejected proposals that would open up IVF for lesbian and single mothers, warning that this would fly in the face of the right of children to have two bio- logical parents. "Every child, even from adoption success stories, wants to know who their biological parents are," Life Network chairperson Miriam Sci- berras said on Monday night's edi- tion of current affairs programme 'Reporter'. "This is something inbuilt within us, and intentionally creating or- phans denies the right of children to grow up with their biological parents," she said. IVF is currently only permitted for heterosexual couples in stable relationships, but Prime Minister Joseph Muscat plans to extend the service to lesbian couples and sin- gle mothers, which would effec- tively allow sperm donation. Sciberras – a dentist with an MA degree in bioethics – sounded warning bells over this proposal, which she claimed runs counter to natural law. Indeed, she reiterated her opposition against a law passed last year that allows gay couples in civil unions to adopt children. 'Embryo freezing could be prel- ude to abortion "Adults are free to live their lives as they wish, and indeed I have no problem with civil unions, but chil- dren should not be placed in the middle," she said. "We shouldn't play around with children's rights. Natural law states that a male and a female are required to create a baby; that's not discrimination, but nature." Sciberras has been vociferous in her opposition to legal proposals that would allow embryo freez- ing, and has indeed said that her organisation would seek an abrogative referendum to annul such changes. "We are not opposed to people having babies, but the current IVF law works just fine," she said, citing a recent Church-commissioned study that demonstrated that the introduction of embryo freezing is "scientifically unnecessary". "What therefore is the aim be- hind freezing embryos, behind freezing human lives?" she asked. The proposed law will increase the number of eggs that can be fertilised, from two to five eggs, and a maximum of two embryos will be able to be implanted in the mother's womb at one go. If these five eggs produce more than two embryos, the remainder will be frozen to be re-used for the couple for another cycle. Unused embryos will be offered for adoption. However, Sciberras warned that embryo freezing will impact the way Maltese society views life, which could ultimately pave the way towards the legalisation of abortion. Host Saviour Balzan argued that embryo freezing – as a prelude to the creation of life – is the polar opposite to abortion, and recount- ed how campaigners had warned in 2011 that the legalisation of di- vorce could also lead to abortion. "Abortion is never introduced suddenly, and is always preceded by step-by-step changes in society's attitudes," Sciberras responded. "Malta currently protects babies from conception, which is why there's no immediate fear of abor- tion. Introducing embryo freezing will challenge the value of life in the country." 'Arguments against embryo freezing scientific, not religious' In a rally against embryo freezing last month, Life Network brought over Gianna Jessen – a prominent American anti-abortion activist who was born after a failed abor- tion attempt. In a speech to the crowds in Val- letta, Jessen called on the people of Malta to "fight now as this evil is at your doorstep and must be stopped". "From where I come, I tell you that you must fight with love, grace, forgiveness, and fearless conviction in the face of death," she had said. "Despite the unpopu- larity of it, the only way to defeat death is through Jesus Christ." Citing Jessen's speech, Balzan quizzed Sciberras as to whether the local pro-life movement is mixing religious and ethical arguments in their opposition to embryo freez- ing. However, the Life Network chairperson said that Jessen was speaking in her own personal ca- pacity and that her organisation's official stance is to only employ scientific, legal and ethical argu- ments. "Science is our greatest weapon, and science is clear in that life starts from conception," she said. "So long as science tells us that, then nobody has the right to place life in a freezer." Pro-life leader warns against opening IVF to lesbian couples, single mothers Miriam Sciberras Joseph Cuschieri (left) with Saviour Balzan on 'Reporter'