Politicians urged to take up Bartolo's anti-tax evasion proposal

Civil Society Network released a statement calling for all political parties which believe in transparency and social justice to turn their words into action and support Evarist Bartolo's proposals on tax havens

"During the parliamentary sitting of 12 April, education minister Evarist Bartolo said that it should be illegal for Maltese persons to open an account in countries where information for tax purposes is not automatically available,” the Civil Society Network said today.

“More than one month has passed since this proposal, and to date, political commitment on this proposal has been lacking. Civil Society Network invites all political parties to state whether they are considering including this proposal in their upcoming electoral manifestos".

Speaking about the Panama Papers in parliament, the education minister, known to be one of the more critical voices in the party, reiterated that the party needed to address the issue which embroiled senior members of the government.

“It is not letting us work serenely,” Bartolo said, adding that this should however also be an opportunity to learn.

The Civil Society also called for the political parties to react to the education minister’s proposal.

"Likewise, political parties should state whether they agree with Bartolo's proposal that full disclosure agreement should be signed between countries so that data concerning investors is publicly available".

Furthermore, the Civil Society Network reiterated its call for the immediate resignation of Keith Schembri and Konrad Mizzi due to their involvement in Panama Papers.

“Such resignations would be of benefit both for Malta's government and the Labour Party, given the embarrasing situation concerning the duo's untouchable status despite their Panama Papers involvement".

Civil Society Network announced that, in the near future, will also be embarking on a campaign to support the European tax avoidance proposals.