Updated 1300
Philippines says Malta “a hotspot for trafficking”: Malta has been accused by the Philippines Bureau of Immigration (BI) of being “a hotspot for trafficking” of Filipinos looking for “greener pastures abroad”. In an alert, the Office, which forms par of the Department of Justice, said it had intercepted two “human trafficking victims bound for Malta”. According to a Times of Malta report, the Philippines BI explained that recruiters make their “victims” believe that they will get work permits quickly but are then exploited once they reach the island. (Times of Malta)
174,382 tourists visit Malta in March: Some 174,382 tourists visited Malta during March this year, spending 1,057,589 night in the country, the National Statistics Office said in data released today. A total of 150,523 inbound tourists visited Malta for holiday purposes, and 12,856 tourists came for business purposes during the month under review, the NSO said. The largest share of inbound tourists were aged between 25 and 44 (38.3 per cent), followed by the 45-64 age bracket (33.5 per cent). (The Malta Independent)
Teachers are no security officers – MUT President: Malta Union of Teachers president Marco Bonnici said teachers cannot act as security officers as they are already burdened by a heavy workload. Bonnici added that one cannot expect educators to act as security officers and it is certainly not part of their job description to deal with angry parents or see to cases of violence. The MUT President lamented Bonnici observed that the schools’ administration repeatedly take decisions where no prior consultation is held with the unions or stakeholders. (Newsbook)
Morning Briefing
Negotiations with EU on corporate tax to commence shortly
Minister of Finance Clyde Caruana has announced that negotiations will start soon with the European Commission on a new corporate tax system. Earlier this year Caruana had already spoken about the need to reform the tax system, as Malta faced intensive EU and OECD pressure to move-away from a system which attracted foreign firms through low rates.
More decisions towards a fair society are coming, PM promises
Government will continue to take decisions to move the country forward, address the people’s concerns and ensure there is a fairer society, Robert Abela told supporters on Sunday. Abela insisted that the tax refund cheques being issued this week were not one-offs, but were part of a chain of initiatives to reward the people’s hard work. The PM went on to say that the government would continue to grow the economy but not at any cost, which was why, he added, the reform in the planning sector was needed for citizens to feel a sense of fairness where everyone’s voice was heard. (Times of Malta)
PN says Govt silent on cost-of-living
PN Leader Bernard Grech has accused Prime Minister Robert Abela of remaining silent in the face of the rising cost of living affecting everyone in the society. “The cost of living is a scourge affecting the entire society, and in the face of this, Prime Minister Robert Abela cannot remain silent,” Grech said at a political event in Għargħur. Grech criticised the government’s lack of action on issues that are “affecting people in the flesh,” including the rising cost of essential products like bread and sugar. The PN leader described the decision to ‘send a cheque’ as a signal that Abela had given up from finding solutions. (Maltatoday)
