Malta has the sixth highest VAT rate on food in restaurants within the EU 27 members state, the Association for Catering Establishments (ACE) said in a statement. The association said that it is “surprised and concerned by comments made by Finance Minister Clyde Caruana during his parliamentary speech where he ruled out Value Added Tax cuts for the catering establishments industry as proposed by ACE in the run up to the Budget speech for 2024.” “Caruana claimed Malta had the second lowest VAT rate after Luxembourg, ignoring the fact that most EU countries have variable VAT rates for different criteria, particularly food in restaurants.” ACE said. (Maltatoday)
Jonathan Borg dismissed from TM headship – reports
Jonathan Borg has reportedly been “dismissed” from his position as CEO of Transport Malta, less than a year after assuming the role, according to a Times of Malta report. Transport Minister Chris Bonett, when approached, refrained from providing details and stated only that the situation is “moving forward as they were yesterday,” without offering further clarification. Borg took over the position at the end of April 2023, succeeding Brigadier Jeffrey Curmi amid speculation about the latter’s resignation from the role as the commander of the Armed Forces. (Times of Malta)
Lifeless body found in Birżebbuġa A lifeless body purportedly belonging to a man was spotted off Wied ix-Xaqqa in Birżebbuġa on Saturday morning. The corpse, in an advanced state of decomposition, was retrieved and brought to shore at St George’s Bay in Birżebbuġa. A post-mortem examination will be carried out in a bid to establish the identity and cause of death. Duty magistrate Gabriella Vella is leading the inquiry. (Newsbook)
