Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/740013
WWW.MALTATODAY.COM.MT WEDNESDAY EDITION €1.00 Newspaper post PG 9 • Editorial WEDNESDAY • 19 OCTOBER 2016 • ISSUE 492 • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY 'Rent regulation would be jumping the gun' - PM Prime Minister Joseph Muscat admits raising rent subsidy could push prices up but warns that rent regulation without testing the market is premature MATTHEW VELLA PRIME Minister Joseph Muscat has admitted that an attempt to bring out slumlords into the open by doubling their tenants' rental subsidy against the presentation of a contract, was "uncharted terri- tory" for his government. In a Budget that Muscat de- scribed as showing that Malta's economic prosperity had pur- pose, the Labour leader seemed to give the impression that a move to make tenants present rental contracts was treading a fine line between the fight against poverty and going after tax avoiders. "It is a key concern. It was one of the issues that we debated at length, internally, with our col- leagues. One of the arguments against raising the subsidy is that it further foments the price of rents: a precedent was the tax re- bate on school transport, that led to a hike in prices," Muscat told a news conference when asked about concerns from social workers that the rental subsidies would encour- age landlords to raise prices. "The caveat in the Budget speech was that we expect all rental con- tracts in Malta to be registered with the Inland Revenue Depart- ment: the 15% tax rate for land- lords is reasonable enough, and just like we register promise-of- sale agreements, so must these contracts be registered." PAGE 7 30% of election candidates should be women, equality watchdog tells parties MIRIAM DALLI ONE in three candidates in the 2018 general elec- tion should be a woman, the National Commission for the Promotion of Equality (NCPE) has told political par- ties. With the exception of the 2014 European Parliament elections, gender representa- tion in Maltese politics has al- ways been weak, to the point that Malta ranks far below the average according to the Global Gender Gap Report (GGGR) 2015. Currently, the percentage of women in the national parlia- ment is 13% as opposed to the global average of 22.8%. For the first time in 2014, Malta achieved a successful gender-balanced representa- tion in the elections for the European Parliament – with a 66% representation of women. Out of 145 countries, GGGR 2015 ranked Malta 108 in relation to women in parlia- ment and 123 in women in ministerial positions. Concerned by the dismal ranking, the NCPE has come forward with a tangible pro- posal which would increase the representation, starting from candidature stage. "NCPE is putting forward the proposal to introduce a system whereby Maltese so- ciety endeavours to be repre- sented by a balance of women and men on a long-term ba- sis," the Commission said. To achieve this objective, political parties would alter- nate between women and men candi- dates in the e l e c t o r a l lists pre- sented at all three levels – lo- cal council, national par- liament and E u r o p e a n P a rl i a m e nt elections. PAGE 5 Two of the four women MEPs: Roberta Metsola (PN, left) and Miriam Dalli (PL) PHOTOGRAPHY BY: CHRIS MANGION Joseph Muscat: speaking about a key concern